Himalayan Health Exchange Program
Donation protected
Dear Family and Friends,
I want to start off by saying THANK YOU for the tremendous amount of support and encouragement I have received over the past few years while pursuing a medical school acceptance. As most of you know, all of that hard work paid off and I turned that goal into a reality and I'm currently wrapping up my first semester of medical school! For those who don't know, I'm attending the Quillen College of Medicine up here in Johnson City, TN. I have a passion to work in rural areas and provide healthcare to underserved populations.
With that being said, I have my next big goal ahead of me; to join a group of highly skilled physicians, residents, dentists, nurses, and other medical students in a medical expedition to the Spiti Valley located along the Indian-Tibetan border. This expedition will last 3 weeks (June 22-July 12 of 2016) and during this time we will be providing free medical care to an estimated 1,600 patients in several small villages and settlements who rarely receive medical care due to difficulty in reaching the villages. These villages have an average of 1 person per square mile and serve as a stop-over for trade caravans between Kashmir and Tibet. Himalayan Health Exchange is commited to improving the overall health of this region and has been coming annually to provide this medical care since 1997! Here are some links to provide more information on this group and their expeditions.
http://www.himalayanhealth.com/index.shtml
http://www.himalayanhealth.com/spiphotos/spiti.htm#
One thing that was an inspiring influence in my decision to pursue medical school was learning about and keeping up with the group Doctors Without Borders (MSF). I'm amazed by what this group stands for and how they provide free medical care to those in need regardless of the environment the patients are in (including war zones and infectious outbreaks). These doctors work for essentially nothing and are doing it to help humanity. I want to emulate these heros and put in my share once done with residency. I will commit to future expeditions, including Himalyan Health Exchange and MSF, to help those who are truely in need. I have a passion for this kind of medicine and I plan to practice international/cross cultural medicine for a big portion of my career. This once in a lifetime opportunity will provide a huge stepping stone in my medical education and personal/career development. I will be exposed to diseases not generally encountered in US medical training, develop and sharpen medical skills less reliant on modern technology, and be submerged in a cross-cultural experience beyond what is possible in the US.
The only barrier between me and this trip is unfortunately $$$$$. To be precise, $4,500. You are probably asking yourself, "How and why does a volunteer trip cost soo much!?" and I found myself asking the same thing. So I decided to do some research and this is what I discovered: A huge portion of these fees goes toward medical supplies for a variety of procedures, medications, and vaccinations while the remaining balance goes towards the airfare and transportation to Spiti Valley, meals, tents (we will be living in these tents for the duration of the trip) and general services for the staff. Everyone going is a volunteer and has already paid the fee or is in the process of raising the money (like me!). The total trip amount will be due by February 15, 2016 so any amount donated is very helpful!! I will keep the fundraiser going until I depart for this trip in June.
As for the $$$ side of things, I have this website available for those who would like to donate in the ease of clicking a button or two and to keep an up-to-date progress of the incoming donations. The downside is that GoFundMe charges 5% for every donation and another 2.5-3% for each transaction! I've had many people ask for alternatives with no fees involved so here are a few options to avoid other companies taking some of your donations!
If you are interested in sending a check/cash/money order -You can send to this address: 4055 Forestview Dr. Cleveland, TN 37312
My PayPal email is [email redacted] if you prefer PayPal.
You can also choose to avoid fees by using platforms such as Venmo (if you have or desire to start an account) and Square (you can send $$ via my email address if you have or start an account). I'm sure there are tons of these options but these are the most common to my knowledge. I'll add that Venmo is amazing and extremely easy to transfer funds from bank to bank.
Being able to attend this trip would be a dream come true to me. I will attempt to find a job that will let me work 1 or 2 days a week to help me save money for this endeavor, although it's extremely difficult to do this due to the demands of medical school. Once again, THANK YOU for considering this donation and I look forward to paying all of these good deeds back down the road. Every dollar counts!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!
I want to start off by saying THANK YOU for the tremendous amount of support and encouragement I have received over the past few years while pursuing a medical school acceptance. As most of you know, all of that hard work paid off and I turned that goal into a reality and I'm currently wrapping up my first semester of medical school! For those who don't know, I'm attending the Quillen College of Medicine up here in Johnson City, TN. I have a passion to work in rural areas and provide healthcare to underserved populations.
With that being said, I have my next big goal ahead of me; to join a group of highly skilled physicians, residents, dentists, nurses, and other medical students in a medical expedition to the Spiti Valley located along the Indian-Tibetan border. This expedition will last 3 weeks (June 22-July 12 of 2016) and during this time we will be providing free medical care to an estimated 1,600 patients in several small villages and settlements who rarely receive medical care due to difficulty in reaching the villages. These villages have an average of 1 person per square mile and serve as a stop-over for trade caravans between Kashmir and Tibet. Himalayan Health Exchange is commited to improving the overall health of this region and has been coming annually to provide this medical care since 1997! Here are some links to provide more information on this group and their expeditions.
http://www.himalayanhealth.com/index.shtml
http://www.himalayanhealth.com/spiphotos/spiti.htm#
One thing that was an inspiring influence in my decision to pursue medical school was learning about and keeping up with the group Doctors Without Borders (MSF). I'm amazed by what this group stands for and how they provide free medical care to those in need regardless of the environment the patients are in (including war zones and infectious outbreaks). These doctors work for essentially nothing and are doing it to help humanity. I want to emulate these heros and put in my share once done with residency. I will commit to future expeditions, including Himalyan Health Exchange and MSF, to help those who are truely in need. I have a passion for this kind of medicine and I plan to practice international/cross cultural medicine for a big portion of my career. This once in a lifetime opportunity will provide a huge stepping stone in my medical education and personal/career development. I will be exposed to diseases not generally encountered in US medical training, develop and sharpen medical skills less reliant on modern technology, and be submerged in a cross-cultural experience beyond what is possible in the US.
The only barrier between me and this trip is unfortunately $$$$$. To be precise, $4,500. You are probably asking yourself, "How and why does a volunteer trip cost soo much!?" and I found myself asking the same thing. So I decided to do some research and this is what I discovered: A huge portion of these fees goes toward medical supplies for a variety of procedures, medications, and vaccinations while the remaining balance goes towards the airfare and transportation to Spiti Valley, meals, tents (we will be living in these tents for the duration of the trip) and general services for the staff. Everyone going is a volunteer and has already paid the fee or is in the process of raising the money (like me!). The total trip amount will be due by February 15, 2016 so any amount donated is very helpful!! I will keep the fundraiser going until I depart for this trip in June.
As for the $$$ side of things, I have this website available for those who would like to donate in the ease of clicking a button or two and to keep an up-to-date progress of the incoming donations. The downside is that GoFundMe charges 5% for every donation and another 2.5-3% for each transaction! I've had many people ask for alternatives with no fees involved so here are a few options to avoid other companies taking some of your donations!
If you are interested in sending a check/cash/money order -You can send to this address: 4055 Forestview Dr. Cleveland, TN 37312
My PayPal email is [email redacted] if you prefer PayPal.
You can also choose to avoid fees by using platforms such as Venmo (if you have or desire to start an account) and Square (you can send $$ via my email address if you have or start an account). I'm sure there are tons of these options but these are the most common to my knowledge. I'll add that Venmo is amazing and extremely easy to transfer funds from bank to bank.
Being able to attend this trip would be a dream come true to me. I will attempt to find a job that will let me work 1 or 2 days a week to help me save money for this endeavor, although it's extremely difficult to do this due to the demands of medical school. Once again, THANK YOU for considering this donation and I look forward to paying all of these good deeds back down the road. Every dollar counts!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!
Organizer
Jeff Borders
Organizer
Johnson City, TN