Eyes glistened as BYU student Kristin Sumbot described her triumph over cancer to a packed room Saturday, Oct. 20.
When looking at Sumbot, an art major at BYU, one would never guess she went through 828 days of radiation and chemotherapy. Her voice shakes with emotion when describing all she lost when she got cancer. She was president of her junior class, ran track and was the center of her social circle, but all that changed when her primary concern went to saving her life. One thing she did not let cancer take was her hope. Sumbot said that one of her favorite pastimes was dreaming about the future and making plans.
On Saturday Oct. 20, Sumbot was a speaker at Radiating Hope’s “Night of Inspiration,” a fundraising event for improving cancer treatment in Nepal. Sumbot represented “Radiating Hope” in Nepal when she and her mother journeyed to climb Mt. Imja Tse as part of the Climbers for Cancer program.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Nepal. Getting cancer in Nepal is like receiving a death sentence due to the lack of cancer treatment. Sumbot said visiting the cancer center in Nepal was eye opening. She remembered how she would complain when she was in the hospital about the lack of good chicken noodle soup and that her room was close to an elevator, but at the Kathmandu center, the beds do not move up and down, there is a lack of privacy from being in a room full of other people and there is not state-of-the-art equipment.
Sumbot said the main theme of her 20 days in Nepal was compassion.
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion,” Sumbot said, quoting the Dalai Lama. “If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Sumbot said that the climb was not scary, because everyone was supportive, but it was hard. She had to remember that it was not about making it to the top, but it was about the journey as a whole.
Radiating Hope climbers carry Tibetan prayer flags, which symbolize hope, strength and well-being for the people they represent, on their expeditions.
“I had the prayer flags with me, which was such an honor,” Sumbot said. “They’re dedicated to cancer survivors and to honor those who have passed away and no longer battle with cancer. … I could feel their courage and their strength helping me climb these mountains.”
Brandon Fisher, the founder of Radiating Hope, opened the event by sharing some statistics. He stated that globally, seven out of 10 cancer deaths occur in developing countries. Developing countries make up roughly 85 percent of the world’s population but possess only one third of the world’s radiation equipment. They lack access to radiation equipment and the equipment they do have is usually outdated and insufficient for the number of people it needs to serve. In the U.S., we have about one radiation machine for every 100,000 people. In Nepal, they have one machine for every 6 million.
“They just lack the equipment and financial stability to buy the equipment,” Fisher said. “This was our kick-off fundraiser for Nepal and we plan on sending them a radiation machine and advance their cancer care as much as we can, which was what tonight was all about.”
“Night of Inspiration” also featured Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who holds the world speed record for climbing Mt. Everest, base camp to summit, in under 11 hours. To put his accomplishment in perspective, it generally takes climbers about two months to climb Mt. Everest.
Lhakpa, originally from Nepal but a resident of Seattle, Wash., expressed how lucky he felt to be in the U.S.
“If I get sick, I can go to hospital,” Lhakpa said. “There, I would die if I got cancer.”
Radiating Hope is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization, whose mission is to provide and update radiation equipment in developing countries. For more information on Radiating Hope, visit their website.
