Only the sky’s the limit for Nepal’s cured leprosy patients

KATHMANDU - Five gritty former leprosy patients, who battled physical disability, social stigma and ostracisation, Sunday began a dogged battle to show that nothing was beyond their invincible spirit, embarking on a climbing expedition that will lead to an assault on Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world.

Three men, some of whom lost their toes and the use of a hand due to leprosy, and two women are part of the 10-member Everest Leprosy Empowerment Expedition that has reached the Langtang region in northern Nepal to debut as mountaineers by conquering the 5,500m Yala Peak, a stepping stone for the 8,848m Mt Everest in summer 2011.

We want to show the world that leprosy is just a disease and not the result of divine curse, says Raj Kumar Shah, a former leprosy patient whose Rehabilitation, Empowerment and Development-Nepal (READ-Nepal) organisation is spearheading the unusual expedition helped by two American agencies, Adventure Trek International and Helping Assist Nepals Disabled (HAND), both of whom work for the empowerment and social acceptance of

leprosy patients.

Leprosy is curable and leprosy patients are as able as any other member of society. We hope the Everest expedition will highlight that.

None of the five members have had any prior climbing experience. However, they all have grit.

Gora Singh Bohra, 47, is a tailor from Humla district in north Nepal whose left hand was affected by the disease. Bohra works with Shanti-Seva, a social organisation that started out rehabilitating leprosy patients.

Bohra is married to another former leprosy victim and their three daughters have proved false the traditional fear that leprosy is a genetically transmitted disease.

Basu Yadav, 36, is an artisan who makes handicraft items from handmade paper in Saptari district in southern Nepal, the belt adjoining Indias Terai plains where the disease is most rife.

Bharat Pun, 39, comes from Myagdi in western Nepal. Currently, he has been working as a nurse.

The two women are Saraswati Neupane, 21, who runs a leprosy patients support group in Butwal town close to capital city Kathmandu, and Sunita Nepali, also 21, who leads a precarious life with her elder sister, assisting her with the household work.

We are hoping the team will be able to make it to the Yala Peak and return to Kathmandu by next week, says Shah.

The expedition started off on a sombre note after HANDs founder Brian Smith - who had summited Mt Everest in 2007 - was brutally assaulted in Kathmandu valley recently by a group of 10 people.

Smith, a regular visitor to Nepal who has immense trust in the Nepalis, was approached by a man in a restaurant who then invited him to his house to have tea.

When the two came out of the restaurant and got into a taxi, a group of people jumped in and pushed Smith to the floor of the speeding cab, which took him to a desolate place Smith was unable to identify.

Joined by others, the group then fell on him and assaulted him savagely, finally leaving him for dead on the road.

But the 40-year-old finally gained consciousness and was able to stagger back to his room.

He is better now and insisted on going with the group to Yala Peak, Shah said.