Katy Kemp

My first journey to Nepal was a wild and wondrous exploration of a land and people who live in the most magnificent place on planet earth. The natural beauty did not capture me as much as the beautiful spirits of the Nepali people. To live on so little but to encompass such radiance truly touched my soul. My heart was awakened after this trip in 1999 and I have been dreaming of the day of my return. I can’t express in words my gratitude for being a practitioner with of the 2012 team.

I will be the first Physical Therapist volunteering with the Acupuncture Relief Project. My intention is to treat patients and to train others to restore vitality, strength and motion caused by deficiencies in the biomechanics of the body. Using my specialized physical therapy training, I hope to treat and teach the Nepali people how to optimize health and physical functioning to live the highest quality of life possible in the face of trauma, illness or aging.

My professional path began in 2006 when I graduated from Pacific University with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.  Today I primarily work with seniors in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. The wisdom and courage of my elders inspires me to take my physical therapy knowledge and skills to the communities of Chapagoan.

I am honored to serve the people of Nepal. This journey will undoubtedly allow us to touch countless numbers of lives needing our expertise and compassion. Thank you for your generous support.

Naya Cheung Rice

It has been a lifelong dream to travel around the world, explore, learn, and give back to local communities.  I am fulfilling this dream currently traveling for a year around the world and have been volunteering with different organizations, providing Chinese medical care.   I feel lucky to be a part of ARP clinic, as it is an opportunity to fulfill and serve through Chinese Medicine in Nepal.  I am extremely grateful to volunteer my medical skills in Chapagoan and serve a community that otherwise would not have the monetary means or resources for consistent medical attention. As I travel, I hope to not only share my skills but also to humbly experience, with an open mind, all the diverse cultures I come across.

Throughout my life, I have been drawn to explore and travel through SE Asia, often trekking off the beaten paths.  My interest in sustainable building projects, holistic medicine, and meditation has been a constant influence and helped me discover and expand my studies of TCM.  The medicine path has helped me learn how to assist others in healing themselves, and to humbly learn about myself.   My other interests in the healing field are practicing medical qigong, mindful meditation, reiki, nutrition, acutonics, five-element theory, Kiso Method and others.

I am looking forward to volunteering at a professional clinic where there is a consistent flow of patients, working with a team, treating in a professional environment, and having regular hours of availability where I can witness the improvements patients make over time.  Also, treating cases that would not commonly be present in Hawaii, where I will reside, will no doubt be a rewarding and growth-filled experience.  I am certain that my time in Chapagoan, and working in the ARP clinic, will not only benefit the local population, but will also help me cultivate and enrich my practice.

Zachary Rice

I am interested in participating in this project in order to assist the people of Chapagoan heal themselves of any ailment that they are ready to rid themselves of.  At the same time I believe working in such a busy clinic will help me in my practice to fine hone my ability to quickly and accurately make a diagnosis of the pattern of imbalance.
In the clinic where I trained in Hawaii we had six patients a day, and since I’ve started traveling through SE Asia, the most I’ve treated in a day is about forty.  It sounds like there is a high volume of patients at this clinic, and I would like to experience working at that pace of treatment for my time there.

I believe projects such as the ARP are highly beneficial to the local communities they serve, and can be a reliable source of medical aid.  Many times now I have passed through small villages and given what assistance I can, for short periods of time, but I feel like a number of the people I treated will fall back into their pattern of disharmony without access to further treatments.  Knowing that others have been in this clinic before me, and will be coming after me, is reassuring that these people will be able to attain their full potential health.

Thank you for providing this opportunity.

Elissa Chapman

I am very excited to be part of the Acupuncture Relief Project and thrilled to be the first Australian to participate.

I received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2005 from the University of Western Sydney and completed my clinical training at the Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Nanjing, China.

So far I have worked mostly as a solo practitioner, seeing patients one on one.  In the Vajra Varahi clinic, we will be working in a team and we will be treating patients in a group setting.  It will be a great opportunity to share ideas and experience, and to be part of the community in Chapagaon.  Nepal  is home to some of the poorest and most underserviced communities in the world and I am very enthusiastic to see the difference that a low cost, safe and practical medicine such as acupuncture can make to the quality of life of people who have very little affordable healthcare.

Thank you for your support in this endeavour.

Jennifer Rankin

I am thrilled to be travelling to such a culturally rich corner of the world to work with the Acupuncture Relief Project, sharing my love of Traditional Chinese Medicine (and maybe a little yoga!) with those in need.

Travelling to Nepal is an amazing opportunity to cultivate my clinical skills, work with a team and most importantly connect with people who have very little access to health care. I feel so lucky to be participating with such an incredible organization and sharing the medicine I love. This program allows me to give back while in turn receiving so much.

After many years of travel and study I settled in Victoria BC. My interest in health and healing led me to study many healing modalities including acupuncture and eventually I founded Inner Path Healing Arts. I work with clients integrating yoga, meditation, nutrition and acupuncture. I am currently working toward my doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as participating in advanced yoga and mindfulness trainings. I am dedicated to learning and refining my understanding of healing in order to best serve my community near and far.

During this trip, I hope to treat hundreds of patients by the time I have completed my stay. The simple nature of the medicine makes it easily accessible and travel worthy! I look forward to connecting with the community of Chapagoan Nepal and sharing with them my love of Chinese Medicine.

Thank you for your donations and support! Without you this dream would not be possible!

Kimberly [Kimo] Shotz

In the time before internet (?!), I spent 5 months living in the “mid-hills” of Nepal while visiting my Peace Corp Volunteer friend.  I was taken by the incredible strength and beauty of this land and people, and their closer connection to Nature and the endless cycles of life.  At that time I formed a strong future vision to return to Nepal as a healthcare volunteer Nurse.  In fact I thought I’d spend the rest of my life volunteering/working as a nurse around the world.

Ambitious and inspired, yes, but I am not one to force an agenda.  I prefer to ride the wave of life and see where it guides me, all the while maintaining, and possibly reshaping, my vision. (I encourage everyone to read Paolo Coehlo’s The Alchemist).  Now, almost 20 years later, I am actualizing my old vision, only with a much larger healer’s “tool belt.” I have practiced as a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner for the past 14 years and am now graduating from Oregon College Of Oriental Medicine as a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  I have tremendous respect for both medicines, yet I think I will forever be awestruck by the beauty and healing potential of TCM, its’ simplicity, universality, and ever-expanding accessibility (thanks to organizations like ARP and community acupuncture clinics) as compared to high-tech/high cost Western medicine.  It seems an ideal medicine for a setting and culture such as in Nepal.  So now I find myself on the crest of the wave of Integrative medicine in the United States and around the world.  I can barely contain myself.

Felicity Woebkenberg

Those who know me describe me as cheerful, compassionate, and full of grit to take on new challenges. The opportunity to participate in the Acupuncture Relief Project is a true honor.

I have worked as a registered nurse for seven years being a firsthand witness to the life experiences of my patients through sickness, recovery, and in health. Having this privilege to take such a journey with another human being has been an amazing gift. In an acute hospital setting I have worked with patients with psychiatric disorders, respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine disorders, end of life care, maternity, as well as pediatrics. I have been an advocate for holistic medicine, integrative care, and community. Everyday that I practice medicine, I continue to be touched by the courage and strength of the human spirit, and am inspired by the magic that I see in the world around me.

Caring for those in need and transforming myself is energizing, rewarding, and makes me feel truly alive. I appreciate the ability to blend my knowledge of Western and Eastern medicine and bring this perspective while treating my patients. On the dawn of a new career in Acupuncture and Chinese medicine, my travel to Nepal is another chapter for me. I hope to learn and expand my interest in community health and global medicine. I know that my work in Nepal is going to be life-changing for me. My hope is to return home to Portland, Oregon with an experience which will help open hearts and minds to those in need.

Thank you for helping me to accomplish this dream, and for your contributions!