TUCSON, Ariz. (May 28, 2025) – With limited training time, Banner – University Medical Center Tucson neurosurgeon Richard Chua, MD, just completed a nine-day trek to the highest heights -- the base camp of Mount Everest – all in support of global spine education.
“I’m not a hiker, not a climber. I just committed,” he said.
Since 2019, the co-founder of the Nepal Spine Foundation has traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, with a group of neurosurgeons to provide volunteer spine surgery and teaching.
To help raise funds for their mission, Dr. Chua and his colleagues partnered with a climbing outfitter that donated a portion of its guide fee to the spine foundation.
An estimated 40,000 people trek each year to the base camp of the world’s highest mountain, making it one of the most popular routes in the Himalayas. Even though it doesn’t require technical climbing skills, the hike can be extremely difficult due to the high altitude. This hike is moderate compared to the summit of Mount Everest, which is 29,000 feet in elevation and takes about three months to hike.
To mark his 60th birthday, Dr. Chua committed to the climb. But his training consisted of a mere six weeks of indoor cycling.
Even after the grueling first four days on the trail, his commitment held strong.
“I fell several times just because I lost my balance and I was weak,” he said. “I didn’t think my body could be more physically tired and exhausted. My legs hurt, and I felt breathless.”
On the trek, he learned to conserve as much energy as possible while navigating physical exhaustion, isolation and high-altitude risk. One of those risks was low blood oxygen saturation, which can cause confusion, headache, shortness of breath and fatigue. Dr. Chua’s blood oxygen levels dropped as low as 60%, well below the normal 98%.
Thankfully, Dr. Chua wasn’t alone. His sherpa, Lalit, offered steady support. In the final stretch to base camp, Lalit held Dr. Chua by the arm and helped steady him in the last 100 yards.
“It’s the hardest thing ever. A thousand times worse than I would have thought, physically and psychologically,” he said.
His first night ever sleeping in a tent was no easier. At 17,600 feet in elevation, temperatures at the base camp plummet at night. Dr. Chua resorted to wearing seven layers of clothing and mittens while in a down sleeping bag zipped up to his nose.
“I woke up to the sound of cracking glaciers and the realization that I actually did it,” he said. “That morning, I just sat at the helipad, surrounded by the Himalayas, feeling completely grateful.”
The journey left an impact that he continues to reflect on daily. He credits his endurance, prayer and gratitude for making it possible.
“When you go to Nepal to do this kind of work, you learn about the people, the culture and trekking in the Himalayas,” Dr. Chua said.
For more information on Dr. Chua’s global spine surgery education in Nepal, please go to www.nepalspinefoundation.com.
Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and Banner – University Medical Center South are part of Banner – University Medicine, a premier academic medical network. These institutions are academic medical centers for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Included on the two campuses are Diamond Children's Medical Center and many specialty clinics. The two academic medical centers are part of Arizona-based Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/universitytucson or bannerhealth.com/universitysouth.
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