FILM SYNOPSIS:

As a child in the mountains of eastern Nepal, Karma Sherpa was grateful to eat just one meal a day. Barefoot, he walked the steep trails between his village of Chhulemu to the Taksindu Monastery to sell potatoes. At night he huddled around a stone fire with his widowed mother and eight siblings in the icy shadow of the mighty Himalayan crest.

Desperate to bring financial stability to his family, Karma scratched out a harsh existence as a high-altitude porter, until one day he met Anna, a Swiss trekker who gifted him a small monthly stipend for a basic education in Kathmandu. Anna’s gesture eventually led Karma to America, where he is now living in Colorado, married with two children, and running a successful adventure travel business that supports his entire family, including those who stayed behind in Nepal.

But on May 25, 2015 the stakes grew higher. Karma turned on the news to see Nepal crumbling under a devastating earthquake, killing thousands. He launched into action, raising money to rebuild homes and the Taksindu Primary School. Recalling the pain of his father’s death, which was caused by an infection that could have been treated with basic care, Karma took an even bigger leap, transforming the school into a temporary medical clinic to serve locals isolated from health services.

Four years on, Karma’s efforts have led to a remarkable annual stewardship event at the Taksindu Monastery, with a revolving door of Western and Nepalese doctors and clinicians – ophthalmologists, dentists, cardiologists, neurologists, gynecologists, nurses – and other medical professionals coming together to make a difference for the people of Nepal.