Courtney Jelley hard at work and play with Eyes4Everest

I grew up in Rural Zimbabwe, where my dad built a small clinical practice to provide medical care in the community, so I’ve always been inspired to volunteer and help those in need. Having recently qualified as a dispensing optician, I was looking for a volunteer opportunity and, given my current focus on meditation and wellbeing, I thought Eyes4Everest would be perfect, and it was.

In fact, it was absolutely phenomenal; a real life changing experience. Nothing can really prepare you for the literally breathtaking views of the towering peaks, Everest itself and the endless amounts of stairs. Although strenuous, people of average fitness can trek through Nepal – slow and steady is the key!

We started out as a group of nine optometrists from Australia, plus myself from New Zealand, all brought together by a common desire to make a difference to people who don’t have access to the same eye care we do. Most of us were first time trekkers, although the support of our Sherpa guides and yaks, who carried the majority of our gear, certainly made the trip a lot more pleasant. We also met up with a young Nepalese optometrist, Tashy, who had just finished her qualification in India and is the first Sherpa optometrist as far as we know! It was so amazing seeing how proud her community was of her.

We spent the majority of our time on this Eyes4Everest trip helping in a village named Khumjung (3970m) where we saw around 100 Nepalese people over two days. I was lucky enough to have my work station outside with a memorial statue of Sir Edmond Hillary and a stunning mountain overlooking me. I was also fortunate to be the last person our patients saw, so it was a bit emotional having Sherpa elders hold my hand to their cheeks in thanks! The work you do becomes that much more rewarding when you realise a couple of 80-year-old ladies have walked for four hours just to see you before walking home again. We all spent time trying to learn as much Nepalese as we could to try to communicate more effectively, though our Sherpa guides were on hand to help us out!

One of my favourite moments from Khumjung was watching two young boys freeze, their eyes go incredibly wide and then run away as one of our optometrists, Rose, stepped outside while wearing her BIO!

While we were primarily there to provide eye care services, the trip also let us explore one of the most remarkable places on Earth. Our trek took us along the Gokyo track, culminating in an ascent of Gokyo Ri (5357m). This was by far our toughest day and we could barely sleep with the anticipation of being among the few people in the world to summit the peak. We got up at 3am. It was minus 20 degrees and we only had the light of our headlamps to lead the way. The stars were unbelievably clear and the sheer beauty of the sun slowly rising over the four highest peaks in the world can’t be put into words. The achievement of reaching the top, especially with people you have become so close with, was undoubtedly the main highlight of the trip.

Another highlight for me, however, was spending time with a local Nepalese woman learning how to cook traditional Dal Bhat (lentil soup and vegetable/chicken curry). As I’m an avid cook, this was a skill I am happy to have brought home with me so I will always have a bit of Nepal to remember!

Being from New Zealand and knowing enough Nepalese to be able to explain that, I felt a huge connection to the mountains and Sherpa people through their fondness of Sir Ed and his achievements. This connection and the Sherpa culture has inspired me to return and explore, as well as continue to help, in different areas of the Himalayas with Eyes4Everest. I also hope by sharing my experiences I can encourage fellow dispensers and other optical professionals to jump at opportunities to use their skills overseas.

Eyes4Everest will be hosting four trips next year and are always on the lookout for people who want to get involved and maybe push themselves outside their comfort zones! If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch through http://eyes4everest.org.au/

*Courtney Jelley is a dispensing optician with Visique Eye Spy Optometrists in Palmerston North. She made the change to optics after leaving the military, where she was training to become a medic, and finished second in her year of dispensing students last year.