PART 3 – Climb for a Cause: the final quest
The porters got Drew down to safety two-hours before Karen, and he managed to stay awake the whole bumpy ride. When she finally got to the bottom, she looked for Drew—there he was looking great, eating and drinking. He was fine and no need to seek advanced medical care! All thought she kept a very close eye on him!
Through his ordeal, God showed Drew something that changed his life. “God showed me a selfless love through these porters,” Drew explained. The porters really had no incentive to help Drew. They received no extra money and walked or trotted through the entire night carrying him. They simply carried Drew because it was the right thing to do—he was helpless without them. Drew was humbled and honored at the same time.
It took several days for Drew to get back to normal. His chest was incredibly sore from having to breath so hard, but he never feared he’d die during this trial. He is thankful for the experience because it taught him something he’ll never forget. He learned to trust God for his future. “God is the best adventure!” Drew now has plans to pursue medical missions, and plans to go back someday to make it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
This situation could have turned out much worse, and they all knew it. The tour guide, Raphael, and owner of the Tembea Africa Tour Company, Meleck Lemomo, wanted Karen and Amy to teach their porters more about monitoring oxygen levels because they knew it was increasing the oxygen levels that kept Drew alive (besides prayer, of course!). Karen and Amy spent the next day educating the tour guides on altitude mountain sickness, and realized they were in dire need of more equipment. Karen gave them her oxygen monitor and 2 stethoscopes as a start, but they need more oxygen tanks, monitors, and medications to treat this sickness.
The remaining team members, once hearing Drew was safe, continued to climb and ultimately only one member, Tom Kiphizi who is Tanzanian, reached the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Kaity, Karen’s daughter, came the next closest being only 400 meters from the top when she started to experience headaches and coughing. So, being extra cautious she decided to stop. (This was a huge victory for Kaity as she was diagnosed with never being able to walk or talk following a near drowning accident when she was 2 ½ years old!) The rest came down after an exhausting week of hiking—all to raise awareness and support of the need for a medical center(s). So everyone was champion for the cause, taking the challenge and stepping out in faith and courage, working together to make a difference in the lives of others.
Hope-2-Others would like to thank Safari, owner Meleck Lemomo, and his tour-guided company, Tembea Africa Tours, the Prairie Athletic Club, Dr. David Ende (Karen & Rick’s cardiologist) who instructed them as to what to due in case of an emergency, and all those who contributed to this mission of raising awareness to improve medical assistance in Tanzania. Donations of 18 parcels of land ranging from one to 50 acres of land, totaling over 250 acres all over Tanzania has been given to Hope-2-Others in Tanzania so they can build medical facilities. Currently, the entire country has very limited access to medical care and resources, especially in rural Tanzania.
If you’d like to donate to Hope 2 Others for the building of much needed medical clinics, you can send a tax-deductible donation to: Hope-2-Others, P.O. Box 1006, Sun Prairie, WI 53590. For more information and secured donations (PayPal) on our web site visit us at: www.bringinghope2others.com or e-mail Karen & Rick at: hope2others.info@gmail.com
