Please indicate Dan Climbs for Child Health in the “Comments” box of the form. 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes to Child Health Foundation.

Dan (age 51) was born in Portland, Oregon, spent several years growing up in Calcutta, India, and now lives in Hunt Valley, Maryland with his wife Kathy and three kids. Dan is an Anesthesiologist practicing in Frederick, Md. He loves the outdoors and as a teenager spent a lot of time hiking the Appalachian trail, whitewater rafting in Western Maryland and spelunking in the tri-state area.

Several years ago he and long time friend David Pohl summited Mt. Rainier in Washington state.

During the last 10 years Dan has completed the Baltimore and New York marathons and participated in a number of charity events including the 2009 and 2010 Multiple Sclerosis 150 mile bike rides.

Looking for another challenge, Dan wanted to combine his next climb with fundraising efforts for Child Health Foundation. At almost 23,000 feet, Argentina’s Aconcagua seemed to be the perfect combination of height, weather and terrain for the next big challenge.

Dan Sack reached the 23,000 ft. peak of Mt. Aconcagua (Argentina) on January 20th, 2011 and has returned safely. He raised over $9,000 for Child Health Foundation. Perhaps you’d like to add to that and celebrate this accomplishment.

Below are the pictures and the story of his climb in his words.

After a long flight, I arrived in Mendoza and was greeted by the Mountain Guides. The next few days were filled with preparation and on day 4, other members of the group and I entered the park and headed off for a 3-mile hike to out first camp, Confluencia (11,010 ft). After setting up camp, we were off on our first acclimatization hike. Four hours later, we arrived at Plaza Francia lookout point (13,400 ft), and were able to get our first glimpse of this awesome mountain with impressive views of the south face.

After several days of acclimatizing, and another day to rest, it was now day 14, and we were ready for our next push to higher camp. We reached Berlin Camp (19,600 ft.) after about 4 to 5 hours and set up camp knowing that we might have to spend an extra day here due to strong winds. The forecast was predicting strong winds over the next day and half reaching over 100 mph at the summit. Obviously a summit attempt in those conditions would be futile. The forecast turned out to be accurate as we learned that on the first night trying to keep our tents from collapsing under 60 to 70 mph gusts. The next morning we discovered several tents around us had been flattened and the climbers had to squeeze in with their colleagues. The winds subsided and on Day 16 we began our push for the summit.

With an early morning wake up call (around 3am), we began preparing for our climb in darkness and frigid cold temperatures. Under the dim lights of our headlamps we pushed on to Independencia shelter at 21,476. Later, we pushed on across the “big traverse” and up the “canaleta” groove. After climbing that particularly steep and strenuous section we traversed “Guanaco’s” ridge which took us to the highest point in the western hemisphere, the summit of Aconcagua at 22,841 ft.

We celebrated and stayed for 45 min. to an hour, took pictures and measured our oxygen levels (58%) before heading back down; about a 15 hr. day round trip.

A great and memorable adventure. (never to be repeated). At least not on this mountain. 🙂

About Child Health Foundation

Child Health Foundation was established in 1985 as a non-profit, public charity [501(c)3] to prevent and treat life-threatening communicable diseases of infants and children in the United States and abroad.

Our mission is “to save the greatest number of children’s lives at the lowest possible cost.” We accomplish this through our unique network of health professionals and organizations committed to improving health policies and practices. We operate as an independent agent of change, seeking and promoting more effective, easily-delivered and less-expensive methods to prevent illness and death of children, such as oral rehydration therapy to prevent dehydration, immunizations, and breastfeeding.

About Aconcagua

How high is Aconcagua?
Aconcagua’s name has roots in the Quechua language and when translated means “The Sentinel of Stone.” At 22,841 feet (6,962m) Aconcagua in Argentina is the highest peak in the world outside of the Himalayas.

The mountain stands on the border of Chile and Argentina and has a very steep and massive face on its south side and a gentle slope on the north, with a huge glacier – the Polish glacier – flowing to the east and a series of aretes and couloirs to the west. It is one of the world’s “Seven Summits”.

Final push to North Summit of Aconcagua

How long will the climb take?
Known as the highest trek in the world, it will take 19 days and require 14,000 feet of elevation gain to reach the summit. The climb is broken down into two phases. The first phase is a 3-day trek from 8,600 feet (2,620m) to Plaza de Mulas base camp at 14,300 ft (4358m) . The second phase is the trek to the high camps and the summit at 22,841 ft (6961m).

Route from base camp to summit (Aconcagua)

How cold will it be?
Mountains are known for unpredictable weather and Aconcagua is no exception. It is known for its blasting winds and cold temperatures. Days of clear sunny skies are normal on Aconcagua, but the mountain does receive storms during the summer months due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, and the moist, humid winds blowing west from there. As this air rises over the slopes of the Andes, its speed increases and it condenses to form lenticular clouds on the summit, also known as viento blanco, or white wind. Given the potential for challenging weather conditions getting to the summit is not guaranteed, even for well-prepared climbers.

The Viento Blanco or white wind

Penitentes (or spikes of ice) reaching for the sun

What are the effects of altitude?
One of the biggest issues at high altitude is acclimatization. Above 10,000 feet (3,048m) there is a noticeable decrease in air pressure. It feels like you are breathing through a straw, making even the easiest tasks a challenge. Everything must be done in slow motion. Travel to extreme altitudes can sometimes lead to medical problems, from the mild symptoms of acute mountain sickness to more serious conditions such as high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). The higher the altitude, the higher the risk. While supplemental oxygen and other medical remedies can help significantly, moving to a lower altitude is sometimes necessary to alleviate symptoms.

View from the summit of Aconcagua

If your company or organization would like to become a sponsor of our climb please contact Dan Sack at (443) 834-6681 or email sackmd@msn.com

Your dollars can make a big difference. All donations are tax-deductible. Please send your gift through our secure on-line payment form >
Please indicate Dan Climbs for Child Health in the “Comments” box of the Donation form. 100% of your Donation goes to Child Health Foundation.

Child Health Foundation has sent them US$ 1,000 from our emergency funds. Kindly contact us if you would like to donate to assist in this emergency.

Villages under water which gushed in as Cyclone Aila struck

Broken Embankment leads to flooding of Village

From Kolkata we have supplied ORS, phenyl, disinfectant, sanitizer, bleach and water purifying liquid. This was not adequate so we sent a larger supply within the next two days. But it is not enough and we received request for replenishment of these supplies on an urgent basis. The building has suffered too many damages. Doors, windows roof tops have either flown off or broken or cracked. But the greatest need is of drinking water. Our water filter is under salt water and the supply connection of fresh drinking water has broken. Water is sent to the islands from Kolkata, but it is not carried up to the islands. People need to get to the other side of the river on boats to get supply of drinking water. There has already been one death from cholera.

Not a Drop to Drink – The wait for drinking water

When the sea water burst all fences and brought in with it crocodiles, snakes, scorpions, the solid wall we could build with your most recent financial help all around our children’s home stood like a guard and defended our children. Water seeped in and covered our play ground about 1ft high. But the 10ft high deluge could be kept away for the strong high wall. Thank you again, CHF!!

The need is great. We need medicine, water, clothes, at a later time we need to provide help to build houses, but as CHF stood by us, we know CHF would stand by us whenever we need. Thank you.

Maya Banerji, President
Seed Welfare Society

Photos by Anil Gulati

New tube-well installed by EPRC allows even children to draw clean water for their families.

Dr. Bilqis Hoque, the principal investigator, and the Environmental and Population Research Centre (EPRC) in Bangladesh, the CHF-funded water project in Bangladesh, set out in 2002 to develop appropriate techniques for management of safe drinking water for children in relation to floods in areas which experience these annually. It continues because of the generous gifts from Miss Esther Lazarson of New York City, In the past, there was, unfortunately, a lack of information about appropriate ways to manage safe water for children during flood seasons, which occur annually. And the precautions that are known by scientists were usually not carried out by the families.

This has been changing. During the latest phase, activities commenced in four villages. All the previously installed water wells were inspected and found to be in full use and arsenic-free. Thirty-two more tube-wells providing safe water were installed serving a total of 2,617 people, over a thousand of them children, bringing the total number served to 13,494. In attempts to bore the tube-wells, about one out of four were unsuccessful because the arsenic and/or saline levels were too high. It is encouraging to know that bacteria is not their only concern. The newest adventure comes because much time has been saved with the new water availability. Therefore it seemed appropriate for the organization to use that time to begin a women’s empowerment program. Women’s clubs were begun at the schools where the mothers were encouraged to get involved in homestead gardening, literacy and health education

Although the rise in patient numbers at this time has been an unexpected turn of events, the Dhaka Hospital is more prepared than ever to handle its patient load. In the past year significant renovations have taken place within the hospital allowing us to treat larger numbers of patients than we have previously and while (until our new building is complete) ICDDR,B still erects tents outside the hospital to accommodate patient overflow, new technologies are ensuring better treatment and surveillance of patients. In fact, the Dhaka Hospital recently became one of the only paperless hospitals in the developing world: doctors and attendants now use wireless handheld PDAs, even in hastily erected tents, to record information on patient treatment and condition.

The Dhaka Hospital is committed to providing the best and most efficient treatment possible for every patient arriving at our doors but they need your help to make it happen. Donate today and be a part of a lifesaving team!

This photo certainly depicts the Gates’ positive impression of the Center’s Hospital and their concern for the patients there.

Bill and Melinda Gates made an unannounced visit to ICDDR,B in Bangladesh in December 2006. Their foundation has donated generously to the Center, especially for pneumonia studies. Upper respiratory diseases hold the number one cause of death among children in the developing world.

The visit was a well kept secret for security reasons, and all went well. The Gates’ have been instrumental in bringing global health to the public’s attention. They make these kinds of trips annually to get first hand information about how their money is being used.

According to an article in Time magazine, the couple “delights in these escapades, not just because they are intellectually captivated by the scientific challenge of treating the diseases of the poor but also because they are convinced that they are living through a historic inflection point when medical breakthroughs could save the lives of millions.”

The International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), our partner in child health, is doing just that!

Crop yields on farms in developing countries that used sustainable agriculture rose nearly 80 percent in four years, according to a study scheduled for publication in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Chemical Society Journal of Environmental Science & Technology. The study, the largest of its kind to date-286 farm projects in 57 countries-concludes that sustainable agriculture protects the environment in these countries while substantially improving the lives of farmers who adopt the resource-conserving practices.

Yields increased by an average of 79 percent during the study, according to corresponding author Jules Pretty of the University of Essex in England. Working with colleagues in Thailand, China, Sri Lanka and Mexico, Pretty found nearly all of the farm projects increased their yields, and harvests of some crops like maize, potatoes and beans increased 100 percent.

Sustainable agriculture practices, such as conservation tillage and integrated pest control, also reduced pesticide use and increased carbon sequestration. In addition, sustainable farming practices require less water, an important factor given that predictions suggest by 2025 most developing countries will face physical or economic water shortages, Pretty says.

About 800 million people in the developing world are short of food and agriculturally driven environmental damage threatens to worsen the problem. “Although it is uncertain whether these approaches can meet future food needs, there are grounds for cautious optimism, particularly as poor farm households benefit more from the their adoption,” Pretty says.

Source: Science Daily