In 2017 August I will set sail from London as part of the leg 1 of the Clipper 2017-18 race. The leg will take me across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. The port of arrival hasn't been announced yet, but it is likely that it will be in Rio, Brazil. In many cultures it is considered good manners to bring a little gift with you when you go to someone's home -- and as some of you may know -- I have a special love for South America. So it would mean the world to me if I can bring along with me a little gift when I arrive there in September. That is why I am running this fund-raiser. Every penny / cent / paise you donate through the CrowdRise link below goes to the Timmy Global Health charity DIRECTLY.
I volunteered with Timmy Global Health in Tena, Ecuador for the first time in 2012... and then went back in 2013... and 2014... and going back again this year. They are the most wonderful bunch of people (all the staffs and the volunteers) doing the most wonderful (and the much needed work) trying to make healthcare accessible to an (even more) wonderful bunch of people living in the remotest part of the Amazon jungle. Among many things, they run a very large number of medical brigade trips per year - made up of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, translators, and non-medical professionals - all volunteers. If you are curious then I encourage you to read on, but most importantly consider coming on one of these trips yourself.
As much as I love volunteering with Timmy, a harsh reality is that the most effective way for me to contribute to their mission is by raising funds for all the medical supplies and resources they need on the ground. So when I signed up for The Clipper Race it was a pretty straightforward decision for me to use this as a means to raise money for Timmy. So please go ahead and click the button below, and share a little love with this wonderful charity, and I hope someday I will meet YOU on a Timmy brigade somewhere in the middle of the Amazon jungle!
Why not? Well, I mean I've never been on an actual sail boat before signing up -- there's that. But then again if you have known me long enough you probably know I never let such small details come in the way of adventure! :)
No seriously, if you live in London then chances are you've been stuck in a crowded tube station wondering what happened to your private space... and then out of nowhere you notice the "achieve something remarkable" poster and you start wondering if fighting an ocean storm is what you were born to do. So after procrastinating for three years (seven years less than I procrastinated to start my PhD), I finally overcame all common sense inhibitions and signed up for the race in February of this year. I've been through two levels of training since and I promise you it is every bit as difficult and insane as it looks. Good news is I did not cry during the training. Publicly.
OK jokes apart, this is the most incredible challenge I've ever attempted. I have seen their promo video (below) a thousand times but I still get goosebumps every time I watch it. I have a long way to go to learn the ropes (pun intentded!) and be well-prepared for the race but I am counting down every second of it. I am ready and I want to go!
2012 was an 'odd' year for me personally. But it was also the year I went to the Timmy brigade to Tena, Ecuador for the first time. I met the most incredible group of people on that trip. The Timmy staff. The volunteers. The local Ecuadorians. They are kind. They are happy. And when it was finally time for me to go home, I left with a newfound sense of "every thing is going to turn out just fine". If you don't believe me then come with me on one of these trips. We will ride the bus together deep into the jungle, put on our rain boots and walk a mile through the mud to the only school building in the village, setup the clinic for the day, do vitals, count pills, shadows the doctors, and make loads of new friends and share a million laughs -- especially fun if you don't speak spanish like me -- and then tell me it's not incredible.
I am not being hyperbolic when I say The Timmy trips have always given me more than I could ever give back to it (not for the lack of trying). Here's a video shot by (my good friend and colleague) Raul during one of our previous Tena trips. Notice all the smiles on the faces of every one. That's what pulls me back there.
But even the happiest people need access to medical care. And we can help. It's the least I can do, and I hope you will help too! ☺