Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Photographers capture some lovely blooms in latest Mail Tribune contest Wimer's Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless Public meetings in Jackson County for May 4-8, 2015 Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting Class of 2016 can get a primer on senior year Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting Emergency services, May 2 Gold Hill man torched his foreclosed property No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Ashland man allegedly dragged woman with vehicle Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Education More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Levy backers eye final push Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Neal Simon: This is a test Environment Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste State News PERS ruling means tough choices for state and local lawmakers US, Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety Cylvia Hayes public records case goes before Salem judge Fixit tag for Portland's noted Portland Building: $175 million Fee targets rail cars that haul oil, other flammables Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Tim Lawrence Yockey Penelope Catherine (Turner) Martens William "Bill" Geisslinger Alice Irenia (McFall) Calkins Dennis Dean Ekwall Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories North sweeps past South Raiders' Abbott breaks 22-year-old record Dodge signs as free agent with Falcons Lockie stands out in Ducks' spring game American Pharoah gives trainer long-awaited Derby win Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders' Abbott breaks 22-year-old record Dodge signs as free agent with Falcons Lockie stands out in Ducks' spring game Raiders go 1-1, advance to today Singler shines in Raider spring game Pro Sports American Pharoah gives trainer long-awaited Derby win Rams take Beavers' Mannion in third Singler shines in Raider spring game Hawks beat Nets 111-87 to wrap up series in Game 6 Mariota eager to get to work Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Blog: Do You Want Cheese with Your Wine? Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Comcast deal dropped along with Pac-12 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option Real Estate News Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, May 2 Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Philip Maddocks: Candidates eager to reconnect with everyday billionaires Matthew T. Mangino: Baltimore boils over again Granlund cartoon: Cities and fire starters Editorials Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Our View: Yes to faster speeds, no to lane splitting Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 2 Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Columns Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore George Will: What stands in Lindsey Graham's way Dana Milbank: Billionaire politics Kathleen Parker: Comedy, tragedy and fear of free speech Michael Gerson: Weighing the baggage Hillary brings Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Lifestyle Latest stories Photographers capture some lovely blooms in latest Mail Tribune contest Go with the (low) flow Find the starry ‘kite’ in the eastern sky Life Lessons & Loves: An ode to the sane and wonderful mothers-in-law Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Home and Garden Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Costa Living: Basking in flower power Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Milestones and Achievements ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Theater REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Music Thunder's Edge, Steel Cranes tonight at Club 66 The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Live Music in Local Clubs Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Restaurant inspections: April 19, 2015 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW PERS ruling means tough choices for state and local lawmakers ... Wimer's Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless ... REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' ... PERS ruling means tough choices for state and local lawmakers ... Wimer's Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless ... REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' ... NEPAL EARTHQUAKE Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in relief efforts By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated May 1, 2015 at 10:23 AM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated May 1, 2015 at 10:23 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> In less than two weeks, Brian Smith will be walking through a rubble-strewn graveyard, the aftermath of nature's recent fury in Nepal. He'll be one of numerous volunteers worldwide going to help the country rocked by a vicious earthquake last Saturday that left 5,500 confirmed dead and thousands more injured. The tasks ahead for the Jacksonville resident, who works as a coroner transport for a private company, are daunting. They include recovering bodies, providing medical aid, distributing food, blankets and water purification tablets and working with affected children, many of whom have been orphaned by the disaster. Anything that's needed, really. He'll join a team and travel through a network of remote mountain villages scattered throughout Nepal. "There are villages everywhere, and there are no roads," says Smith, 45. "There's not electricity to a lot of them, and they're just connected by a network of trails. It's amazing when you're flying ... and you look out the window, and there are just miles and miles of villages with trails connecting them. "The outlying villages, there are reports that a lot of them are just gone." He already had been preparing for a sixth visit to Nepal on behalf of Helping Assist Nepal's Disabled, a nonprofit he started in 2009 whose primary mission is working with disabled children and their families in the region. The earthquake moved up his plans. His motivation comes from his deep affection for the people of Nepal, along with his Christian faith that compels him to care for the afflicted. "I just fell in love with the country the first time I went there," Smith says. "These people have become my family and my friends." The Everest climb Smith caught the Everest bug in the mid-1980s, when he was 15 years old and attending South Medford High School. "I was the geeky kid who always ran down to the library when it was in downtown Medford, the old library, and checked out books on Mount Everest," Smith says. "In those days ... a lot of books were being written because they'd do one expedition a year or every couple of years, so I became fascinated with it." During his senior year of high school, he summited Mount Rainier for the first time. It would be about 20 more years before he'd start the climb up Everest. "In those days it was really hard to get onto Everest. You had to be connected to an expedition, a well-funded expedition," Smith says. In 2006, he started training and planning. He linked up with Mountain Madness, a Seattle-based climbing service, and traveled to Nepal in 2007. The poverty and condition of the country struck him when he landed. One of the first things he saw in Thamel, a tourist hub in the country, was a sackcloth-clad man begging at the city's gate. Leprosy had withered the man's hands and face and eaten his toes away to nubs. Smith began his climb from Everest Base Camp about two weeks later. He arrived at Camp 3 when a cough he'd had for about a month came to a brutal head. It was high-altitude pulmonary edema, a condition that causes fluid to fill the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe. His breath crackled and he heaved pink froth. During a sherpa's scramble to search for oxygen and a mask, Smith lay on a glacier at 21,200 feet and waited. The moon illuminated Everest's snow-washed sides. If I die, Smith thought, at least I'll go out with a beautiful view. Then his thoughts moved on to other things, specifically the people of Nepal. "I was thinking about the people with disabilities, I was thinking about that gentleman with leprosy, and I thought, 'If I survive this, I'm going to do a different direction in life, something with more humanitarian involvement,' " Smith says. "I didn't know what that was at the time." He made it the rest of the way down and received free-flow oxygen and medical support, then journeyed back down to the village of Namche Bazaar, where he recharged and continued healing. Then he gave Everest another go and made it all the way up. It was pitch black the night he reached the top, but for the lightning flashing below and stars above. "I turned in a circle and I thought, 'Wow, there are 7 billion people on the Earth, and for this moment, I'm the highest human on Earth,' " Smith says. "Which was a pretty cool feeling." A country in need Smith spent another week or so in Katmandu before flying back to the U.S. He continued to see poverty and lack of medical infrastructure, more examples like the man stricken with leprosy that stuck out. By 2009, he had formed H.A.N.D. because of what he'd seen. He's since made five trips to the country — a full year all total. Smith says the group has given aid to health camps and colonies for those with leprosy, distributed wheelchairs, given aid to children with cerebral palsy, operated on people with cataracts, handed out mosquito nets and helped with first-response medical emergencies, all among hundreds of villages scattered throughout the remote, rocky region. "They were super gracious to me when I was there," Smith says, adding he has helped some families emigrate to the United States. Smith has been collecting additional donations and supplies in preparation for his upcoming journey. The earthquake has left many people homeless and orphaned and leveled schools, temples and historic sites, he says, and he wants to be part of the solution. This trip will not be Smith's last. He plans to head back several times over the next two years. "Not only right now is there a first-response need, but there's going to be a long-term need, as well," he says. "The plan is to set up leaders and volunteers throughout different remote villages that can work with these children." The cleanup will be a long-term process. Smith says the country is still getting slammed by aftershocks, leaving many with motion sickness. "They feel like they're on a rolling boat because these aftershocks hit every 20 minutes, last for 30 seconds, and everything's swaying," Smith says. "They literally feel nauseous all the time. Sea sickness basically." Smith is aware of the risks that await, and says it will be difficult to be away from his wife and daughter, almost 2 years old. He'll lose contact with everyone for at least five days when he starts his journey. "Going to Nepal on a good day is dangerous," Smith says. "Now it's going to be incredibly dangerous, really." Despite all that, he still thinks about that night on Mount Everest when the people of Nepal lent their hands to help him off a mountain and get back on his feet. Now he's ready to lend his own. For more information about H.A.N.D., see www.handnepal.org . Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or by email at [email protected] . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated May 1, 2015 at 10:23 AM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501