SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A medical mission led by a San Diego-area nonprofit has wrapped up its work in flood-ravaged Nepal, where volunteers faced washed-out roads, landslides and an unexpected emergency involving a bear attack victim.
Michael Sohmer, a retired clinical pharmacist and founder of the global health nonprofit Sweeping Change, traveled to Nepal as part of a 17-member medical mission following deadly flash floods that devastated parts of the country.
ABC 10News first spoke with Sohmer last month as he prepared for the trip. Having coordinated previous medical missions to Nepal, he expected significant needs in communities affected by the disaster.
After the ABC 10News story aired, donations poured into a GoFundMe campaign to help purchase supplies for the mission.
“What comes up for me is just gratitude,” Sohmer said.
Once Sohmer arrived in Kathmandu several weeks ago, however, the mission faced an immediate obstacle: The team's planned route had become impassable.
“The route we were going to take was washed out. There were landslides. It was raining. It continued to rain,” Sohmer said. “I was looking up at the heavens and hoping the rain would finally stop.
Conditions improved after several days, allowing the team to travel using alternate routes. Sohmer then rented a helicopter to transport the medical team and its supplies to Nepal's Rasuwa District, north of Kathmandu.
When they arrived, the team was confronted with another emergency.
A local resident had suffered a serious wound in a bear attack.
“At that point, I made the decision I was going to put him in the helicopter back to Kathmandu for care,” he said.
The team then established its clinic and treated nearly 400 people over the next four days.
“There were infections. Many had been cut off from medications,” said Sohmer.
The mountainous community had been cut off from access to medical care by the flooding, according to Sohmer. Many residents were also grieving relatives lost in the disaster.
“There was a lot of depression, a lot of psychological services I wish I would have been able to provide,” Sohmer said.
With the mission completed, Sohmer is planning to return to San Diego next week. He is already looking ahead to another trip to Nepal, with plans to raise money to return in April 2027 to provide medical and dental services.
This article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed and edited by ABC 10News staff for accuracy and clarity.
