Support Fundraiser for Repongtsung Family

Health care is a pretty special service that we often access without giving thought to what life would be like were we not able to access it. If you have had the privilege of accessing health care please read on...

In a small village in Kham district Tibet, my older brother Sherab Tenzin, herdsman, and father of 5, is seriously ill. He has had a number of hydatid cysts which have grown in his liver, lungs and pelvis, causing constant, excruciating pain, rendering him unable to work. He requires surgery on his leg where one cyst ruptured and bone has been rubbing on bone, he is looking at the potential amputation of his leg as some of the bone has turned necrotic.

Sherab Tenzin, 41, is a single father of five children, 18 months, 3, 11, 14, and 17 years old. His wife and mother of the children died in 2020, from a heart attack when the youngest child was only 3 months old.

Sherab Tenzin’s family are nomads who tend yaks and collect medicinal herbs for income. Sherab Tenzin is currently unable to work due to the severity of his illness and the constant pain. As such he has no funds to remain in hospital for the care and surgery he requires, so he and his 5 children are living with our 72-year-old widowed mother.

Sherab Tenzin is unable to walk, work, collect dung for fires or collect water for cooking and cleaning, and as the family home doesn’t have plumbing, he requires assistance to go outside for ablutions. His health has deteriorated to the point that he requires assistance to sit up.

He has been despondent since his wife died but very much wants to live so he can contribute to the care of their yaks, gather herbs for sale, and most importantly to be a nurturing father to his young family while not continuing to burden our mother with his ill health.

We would be extremely grateful for any contribution to the cost of treatment for my brother which equates to the well-being of his entire family. We need help to pay the costs associated with transportation into a larger Chinese city for hospitalisation, medication, deposit for surgery, and recuperation. The deposit for the surgery has a 20-day window in which it can be put forth, the deposit is $20,000 AUD. The health care system is different than in Australian hospitals so Sherab Tenzin would need to have a person travel with him and stay in the city to organise his food and general daily needs.

Being Spring, it is the time in which nomads go to the mountains to collect medicinal herbs and fungus. However, due to Sherab Tenzin’s health, he is unable to draw on this seasonal work. There are limited funds in the community due to the seasonal nature of work. Despite this, his generous community has raised $1000AUD towards his operations and we are all hoping that our wider global community can raise the additional funds needed.

Your generosity is most gratefully appreciated, even the smallest of donations has a cumulative effect through such platforms, so please don't hesitate to donate because you think you're not donating enough. If at this time you are unable to assist financially please send your good thoughts to Sherab Tenzin and his young family for their wellbeing and please share this Go Fund Me amongst your contacts. By sharing further the hope is that many people can contribute a small amount each and make an incredible difference to this whole family.

I am a traditional Tibetan artist and I am also selling artwork to help raise funds for my older brother. Please contact me via my Instagram account re_sherab if you wish to purchase something, all funds will go to my brother and his young family.

Many thanks for taking the time to read about Shreab Tenzin and for considering the importance of being able to access health care.