A physician’s assistant from New Jersey was among those killed in the earthquake in Nepal.
A physician’s assistant from New Jersey was among those killed in the earthquake in Nepal. Marisa Eve Girawong had been working in Nepal for a company called Madison Mountaineering that posted the news of her death on its website.
Girawong used to work at a hospital in East Orange. Hers was a life of helping others. Sadly, no one could protect her from the avalanche that followed the earthquake.
On Sunday, many families with ties to Nepal are frantic with worry. There is a desperate feeling of helplessness as they struggle to learn about their families, and their villages back home. For thousands, the news is grim, as the death toll continues to rise.
Melissa, who went by her middle name, Eve, worked as a physician’s assistant in the East Orange Hospital emergency room. One coworker said Eve would offer to bring cookies to share. She also apparently loved mountain climbing, and may have thought she found the best of both worlds on top of the world – at Mt. Everest, where she provided medical care to climbers.
According to the company, Madison Mountineering, Eve perished in the aftermath of the avalanche the struck the base camp area following the devastating Nepal earthquake.
“Our hearts go out to the family of Eve Girawong. She is loved by all of us in base camp, and a great addition to our team and helped us tremendously,” said Garrett Madison.
The earthquake, the aftershock and the avalanches, turned one of the most exquisite and exciting destinations in the world into mass ruin tonight. Panic and fear as workers search for survivors and bodies.
About a half-dozen other Washington outfits – including Alpine Ascents, International Mountain Guides and Rainier Mountaineering Inc. – had expeditions on or near Mount Everest when the earthquake struck, killing hundreds. The avalanche claimed more than a dozen lives.
Source: New Jersey woman among victims of earthquake in Nepal