October 27, 2007

We are back, safe and sound, in Kathmandu. Tomorrow we will visit Dr. Baral and the center and make final preparations for the finale show on Monday. Tonight, I return to my room to find the following email…

Dear Shannon, Mike and James,
Do you remember a surgeon whom you met at Bhaktapur cancer hospital when you came for first visit? And I remember Mike was telling is this a place where you operate? Well first bravo and great congratulation to this battalion of army who have proved that nothing is impossible if you have faith and courage for your greatest life time achievement of Mission Everest Rocks.

I did my MRCSEd from Edinburgh, Scotland in 2005 and just came back to Nepal because I had dream to do something for Nepalese people but I didn’t know what and how? I was working in B and B hospital, one of the most expensive private hospital in Nepal where I used to earn like in UK but one fine Friday morning 20th April 2007, Santa Clause (Dr. Baral, who worked in same hospital) asked just one simply question, ” Do you have hearts to serve people? I was amazed what was he asking for? I replied yes! Then he told me can you join Bhaktapur cancer hospital as we do not have surgeons who are committed and dedicated to cancer surgery? I gave 24 hrs to my heart to think what I should do? Should I choose cozy job with highly paid salary with all comfort to me and my family or should I go to join Bhaktapur cancer hospital to accept this new challenge that Dr. Baral has given me? I prayed and listen to my heart, ”yes, life is an expedition and in every corner you must dare to do thing’. And yes that turn out to be “a single step by a man became a big limp for him”.

My question was exactly what Mike asked me that day? Do you do surgery in this room? Woosh! God what should I do? But that was the challenge that I accepted and told that I will establish a department of Surgical Oncology in this hospital. With gracious blessing of Prof. Anjani Kumar Sharma, first surgeon of Nepal and founder of Bhaktapur cancer hospital, with his blessing as head of department and me being surgical registrar started doing surgeries. It was like your dream of “Mission Everest rocks”, before I joined 6 months early, hardly 14 surgeries per month that to very minor surgeries but now we are doing 80 surgeries per month including most complicated and major surgeries like Mastectomy, Total thyroidectomy and radical neck dissection, Gastrectomy, Hemicolectomy. With God’s Grace till now all our patient are being blessed without any complications despite of infrastructure that we have. And to tell you that this place is really blessed all because of this single Santa clause Dr. Baral, because he is the man with vision.

My strategy is to:

1. Upgrade this present OT.
2. Constructed new OT room.
3. Construct full equipped post Operation room and Surgical ICU
4. Train my OT staff.
5. And lastly to upgrade myself.

Well I hope that within next month our new OT room will be fully furnished.

Dear Shannon I am so much emotionally bound to write my feeling to you because of your love, your hope and your strength that have made me more stronger to work and fight against cancer. Hope to meet you tomorrow at hospital.

God bless you
Dhiresh