Secret Spot 7 Summits Blog: May 5th is Etched into my Memory...for a Few Reasons... B^]

May 5th is Etched into my Memory...for a Few Reasons... B^]

5 May, 10 - 16:20hrs

Phill Michael , Ang Dawa Sherpa , Phuri Sherpa and crew at the Shahid Gangalal Nation Heart Center in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 9th, 2009.

I've been celebrating May 5th as a special day since 1999...but a year ago today, I was on the foggy summit of Peekay Peak...flying some prayer flags in heavy winds. I was flying them for Ang Dawa Sherpa's nephew...Phuri Sherpa. While I was kissing the icy breeze of remote, high-altitude Nepal...Phuri was under a general anesthetic and benefiting from the skills of Dr. Rabindra Tamala at the Shahid Gangalal Nation Heart Center in Kathmandu, Nepal. Phuri the Buddhist Monk was having his Aortic Valve replaced. I had been there...and done that...so I had an inkling of what he was going through.

A century ago...nay...sixty years ago, Phuri's life would have been all but over. His heart was severely hypertrophic. It looked like a soccer ball on his chest x-ray. In early April 2009, I put my hand to his chest. It felt like a small creature was trying to pound its way through his ribcage. His demeanor was calm...but his eyes were full of sadness and fear.

Dawa came to my room at the Kathmandu Guest House at the beginning of April. We sat on my balcony and admired the puffy clouds over the city, while the ubiquitous honking of car horns resonated through the afternoon air. Dawa was in a quandary. While I ordered our chicken chili with rice and organic salad...the gentle phone voice of Anud, the key man of the kitchen, asked, "...and two cokes and two glasseeez of ice too? One for Mr. Dawa. Right Phill Sir?". I looked over as Dawa...who seemed absolutely crestfallen and said, "Yes, please!" to the question. I asked Dawa what was up...and the emotion of the situation poured forth...like a cloudburst. He explained what was happening...and how his brother's (Dende) son (Phuri) was on the verge of dying due to, "bad heart". Dawa pounded his chest in frustration while telling me all of this.

I had never seen Dawa in such a state. It was understandable. Dawa asked me if I would mind postponing my trip to his village...and I gasped and chuckled in disbelief. My travel schedule was the last thing he should have been worrying about!! I assured Dawa there was no need to be concerned, but he went on about how Phuri's father, Dende, was a subsistence farmer and that 'poor' people of Nepal didn't have a chance. He said that there was no way for Phuri's parents to come to Kathmandu and see their son. There were cows to tend to and there weren't any funds for travel.

April 16th, 2009: Phuri Sherpa speaks with Dr. Rabindra Tamala about his imminent heart surgery.

I assured Dawa that I'd personally take care of the situation...and that we lived in an age where even 250 pound Buddha like creatures could lead happy, healthy, adventurous lifestyles...even after an invasive 9 hour heart surgery. Dawa's sullen eyes began to twinkle again, as he observed the ostensibly vibrant hulk in front of him uncork a bottle of vintage Italian wine and toast Phuri's health.

"May Phuri the Monk live long and prosper...I'll see to it myself", I yelled at the top of my lungs...while the birds in the courtyard craned their necks to see what all the fuss was about.

I reminded Dawa of some of the rather active and challenging things we had accomplished together over the last couple of years...and how the 21st century was about innovation...as well as science fiction becoming science fact. Dawa looked slightly skeptical about Phuri's future...but I knew better...and time would tell...as it always does.

'Team Phuri' on April 16th, 2009

After quite a bit of riding around the Kathmandu Valley on the Mini Time Machine...and time spent in the hospitals and waiting rooms of Nepal...we had Phuri set for admission and slated for surgery. Dr. Tamala was really great to deal with, so we were able to quell the fears of Phuri's extended family...and most importantly...Phuri himself! Phuri speaks about as much English as I do Nepali, so we communicated via Dawa...and with our eyes...and I watched his brighten as he began to realize that his chance for extending his quality of life were very, very good.

What happened next?! I suggest you take ten minutes from your hectic schedule and watch the following video...and you shall see...