On May 1, 2023, my father, Jonathan Sugarman, a respected physician leader, generous humanitarian, and accomplished mountaineer, passed away after the sudden onset of an altitude-related illness at Camp 2 on Everest.

This summer, I’m taking on my own version of Everest – climbing the equivalent 29,032 feet over the coming weeks in honor of my father and in support of The Juniper Fund, whose mission is to support and empower families and communities impacted by the loss of Himalayan high-altitude workers.

I first learned about The Juniper Fund when my dad mentioned it in an email reflecting on the deaths of three Sherpa who perished in a serac fall while climbing through the treacherous Khumbu icefall, just weeks before his own death. Last November, I traveled to Nepal with The Juniper Fund and had the special and surreal opportunity to meet two women who had lost their loved ones in that very accident. Since 2023, we have walked similar paths in very different shoes, and I am grateful for finding comfort and friendship in the unenviable thread that ties us together.

During our EBC Trek, I witnessed firsthand the tremendous impact of The Juniper Fund and was deeply inspired by the commitment to enduring support and dignity for families in Nepal who have experienced loss not so different from my own, but with vastly different resources and support systems.

And so, I’m donning the same boots I wore last November and getting in the vert, thinking about my dad and the families I met in Nepal every step of the way.

I’m also breaking in some proper mountaineering boots, as I prepare to join The Juniper Fund’s co-founder, climber extraordinaire, and all-around inspiring human Melissa Arnot Reid and dear friends on Komo Kulshan (Mt. Baker) in late June to get a taste of what my father loved so much.

I invite you to show your support by making a donation to The Juniper Fund.

Follow along on my journey and help me reach the summit!