Tibetan medical scholarship in Karnataka, India

A year ago, I underwent major brain surgery that was a wakeup call from life-as-usual. I woke up grateful beyond words and humbled by the team of people at Johns Hopkins Hospital who made my new lease on life possible. I was especially inspired by Dr. Chetan Bettegowda, the head of the neurosurgery team who led the whole process with not only incredible skill but also compassion and empathy. I knew how lucky I was. The experience of having a major craniotomy could not have been more deeply humane. And I wished every person in the world facing life-changing surgery could be given such extraordinary care.

It’s been a year now and I'm marking this one-year milestone by sharing my story of gratitude and by planting new seeds to encourage future medical professionals to aspire to the very best of their promise and potential as well.

So I hope you'll join me in raising funds to establish a Tibetan medical scholarship in Karnataka, the state of India where Dr. Bettegowda was born and the region that has given asylum to many tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees—the largest number anywhere in the world.

The Dr. Chetan Bettegowda Medical Scholarship will be awarded to a promising Tibetan medical student who is from or studying in the state of Karnataka and who demonstrates both academic excellence and exceptional commitment to the care and service of others. The aim of the award is to nurture compassionate and insightful medical practitioners who reach for their life and educational goals with great empathy, conviction and inspired care. This award will be part of Machik's ongoing work for education in the Tibetan community in Tibet and worldwide.

For those in Toronto, please join us for a quiet mindful walk together in High Park, followed by a lunch and lingka where we will be celebrating the precious time we are given on this earth to be alive and awake and part of the unfolding miracle of life.

ཚེ་རིང་ལོ་བརྒྱ། ✨

Tashi Rabgey