Pemba Sherpa Becomes First Kidney Transplant Recipient to Summit Mount Everest, Aims to Climb All Seven Continents

Kathmandu. No matter how big the storms of life's ups and downs, they cannot bring down Pemba Sherpa of Solukhumbu. He has become so tough that no crisis can break his morale.

Pemba, 37, has already registered his name as the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest after a kidney transplant. The journey of this climber, who received a kidney transplant from his own father, does not stop here. He is determined to climb the highest peaks of all seven continents. Accordingly, he made the ascent of Everest the first chapter.

Pemba, a permanent resident of Mapya Dudhkoshi Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu, set foot on the summit of Everest and unfurled a flag at 9:30 AM on May 14, 2025 (Jestha 1, 2082 BS). The flag read - 'Organ Donation Is Life Donation, Let's Donate Organs That We Lose After Death'.

After successfully climbing Everest, Pemba has prepared to climb the highest peaks of the other 6 continents carrying the message 'Organ donation is life donation, let's live and let others live too'.

'I want to climb the mountains of all 7 continents to call for organ donation and raise public awareness,' he said.

Before climbing Everest, Pemba had already climbed Lobuche Peak, which is 6,119 meters high. Raised in the lap of Solukhumbu, he used to work as a porter at one time.

Pemba, who received formal education only up to the 5th grade, studied Buddhism for 4 years at the Pangom Monastery in Solukhumbu.

According to the National Institute of Health, 850 million people worldwide suffer from various types of kidney diseases. According to government reports and studies by public health organizations, it is estimated that about 3 million people in Nepal have some form of kidney problem. Among them, 300,000 have failing kidneys. 3,000 new patients are added in Nepal every year.

Pemba says that the lives of patients will be saved if one person donates an organ. Organs that turn to ash can be donated to someone in time to save their life, but he said that it is difficult to find enough donors.

Pemba states that it is due to the lack of public awareness and publicity that people are not found to donate organs. Through personal efforts, he wants to spread the message 'Donate organs, save lives' by climbing the highest peaks of all 7 continents.

• New life after father donated kidney

Pemba considers Dr. Pukar Chandra Shrestha, the then Executive Director of Shahid Dharmabhakta National Transplant Center, as a god. A team including Dr. Pukar performed Sherpa's kidney transplant on November 18, 2022 (Kartik 2, 2079 BS).

Pemba's 57-year-old father, Angyaljen Sherpa, donated a kidney to him.

• Kidney failure while working abroad

Pemba spent 4 years in Malaysia and 6 years in Japan in the course of foreign employment. While in Malaysia, he worked in a plastic company. In Japan, he worked at a Toyota car company.

While working abroad, Pemba used to work up to 11 hours a day. His legs broke twice while in Malaysia. While living in Japan, he only found out that his kidney had failed when it reached the final stage.

Unable to afford treatment in Japan, he returned to Nepal. He stayed at Teaching Hospital for 2 weeks. He went to Ham's Hospital in Dhumbaraahi for dialysis for 16 months. He spent two and a half difficult years undergoing kidney dialysis.

Only after undergoing a kidney transplant at Shahid Dharmabhakta Transplant Center did he finally find relief, and he recovered after spending a lot of money. Pemba, who lives in Gokarneshwor, Kathmandu with his two daughters and wife, also worked as a Japanese language instructor after returning to the country.

• False assurance from then Health Minister Poudel

Pemba struggled a lot to gather the necessary expenses before climbing Everest. He repeatedly visited the Prime Minister's Office and various other ministries, but received no help from anywhere.

After spending nearly 70,000 rupees without receiving any help, he became disheartened. After visiting the Ministry of Health four times, Pemba finally got a chance to meet the then Health Minister Pradip Poudel.

According to Pemba, the then minister Poudel asked him, 'You have had a kidney transplant, can you climb Everest?'

Pemba, with strong willpower, replied, 'I can.' Poudel then bid him farewell saying, 'Congratulations, come back after climbing.'

He also met the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. He had hoped that even if the royalty fee of 150,000 rupees payable to the government for climbing Everest was waived, it would be a great relief financially. However, he complained that the then Prime Minister and ministers ignored him.

After returning from the successful ascent of Everest, the then Health Minister Pradip Poudel organized a special program at the ministry, congratulated him, and said, 'You must become an ambassador for transplant promotion.'

However, he experienced that despite completing the procedures and repeatedly trying to meet the Health Minister, his personal secretary never arranged the meeting.

'I went to the ministry four times, called many times, but the minister's personal secretary never let me meet the minister,' Pemba told Ratopati.

He expressed his sorrow that he had hoped that the then Prime Minister Oli, who had undergone two kidney transplants, would understand his situation, but that too turned into disappointment.

He said that after returning from climbing Everest, Oli also congratulated him with a garland but did not provide any further assistance.

Pemba spent 3.2 million rupees to climb Everest. Of that, he raised 1.9 million rupees through Facebook. The remaining amount was supported by Ncell and Yeti Airlines. Dawa Yangjum Sherpa, Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa, Ang Tshering Sherpa of Asian Trek and his friends and relatives also provided significant help.

Shahid Dharmabhakta Transplant Center provided him with 150,000 rupees for the royalty fee for climbing Everest.

After Everest, Pemba is on a journey to climb the highest peaks of 6 continents. For that, he needs 15 million rupees. He presents his objectives and messages to various companies and individuals every day.

Pemba has a great desire to make history for Nepal and Nepalis. For that, he says he will ask for help from everyone. 'People hesitate to donate organs, I hope everyone donates organs after their death to help save other lives,' he said.

He shared his plan to establish the 'Pemba Foundation' after climbing the highest peaks of all seven continents to help people who have lost organs.

'Seven organs can be donated after brain death, which can save seven lives,' Pemba said, 'Organs that turn to ash should be donated to save other lives.'