UH doctor and nurse practitioner climb Mount Kilimanjaro

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WESTLAKE, Ohio – Dr. Shubham Gupta and nurse practitioner Kara Richey knew exactly how to recover from all the stress the pandemic has brought to area healthcare providers. What else? Go climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Gupta, a urologist, works at St. John Westshore University Hospitals in Westlake, as well as the main campus in Cleveland. Richey is a nurse practitioner working at the Avon UH facility, as well as the Seidman Cancer Center and the main campus in Cleveland. Both treat people with cancer.

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania in East Africa. Encyclopedic information states that the mountain is “the highest single mountain above sea level: 19,341 feet”. It is considered the highest volcano in Africa and the Eastern Hemisphere.

Gupta and Richey met at Duke University in 2013 and married in 2021. Thoughts about the pandemic and the uncertain future for everyone led them to decide to come up with a plan – a kind of list of things to do – that evolved into a concrete goal.

They climbed the mountain with three friends from medical school, leaving home on February 11. They began climbing two days later and reached the summit on February 18, arriving at the summit for sunrise at 6:30 a.m., where they planted the central Seidman Cancer Flag.

When asked what the weather was like, Richey replied that it was summer season there.

“Basically, it was nice, like California weather – cold at night and warmer during the day,” she said. But it snowed near the top of the mountain.

The climb took four and a half days and half a day to descend.

The Richey/Gupta newlyweds are taking time out from their medical careers to enjoy climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. (Photo courtesy of Shubham Gupta and Kara Richey)

The two had climbed mountains before, but, Richey said, “that was the big deal.”

Previous climbs have included Dog Mountain in Oregon, Cadillac Mountain in Maine, and Lemmon Mountain in Arizona.

Of the value of their adventure, Richey said, “In our roles as healthcare providers, we encounter mortality many times a day. The nature of our careers teaches us that every day is a gift that must be fully received, rather than waiting for better days that may never come.

“We choose to embrace the gift of being able to challenge our minds and bodies, knowing that the people we care about may not be able to do the same.

“Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with the Seidman Cancer Center flag was an embodiment of that philosophy, representing the honor we have to care for our patients and the privilege we both have to provide care in such a hospital system. marvellous.”

Gupta added: “”This effort required teamwork, recognizing our own limitations and the willingness to overcome them. The elation and triumph when you reach the top is almost like a spiritual experience. We resume our lives with renewed vigor.

What mountaineering and flag planting adventures await the couple in their future? They noted Mount Aconcagua, which is the highest mountain in South America, as well as three others in the United States: Mount Whitney in California, Half-Dome in Yosemite National Park and Mount Denali in Alaska. .

Here are the bucket lists and the vision and courage to follow them.

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