On 25 April when the earthquake struck Nepal, Dhan Singh Gurung was herding cattle with his friends in Gumda, a village bordering the epicentre of the earthquake. Before he could run, he was swept off his feet by an avalanche – which saved his life. ‘The avalanche tossed me into a nook on the side of a cliff,’ Gurung explains. ‘Squinting through dust, I witnessed the landslide running its course above me. I had been spared.’

His injuries prevented him from crawling, let alone walking. Presumed dead by his family, he remained trapped without food or water for 72 hours, until he was found and flown to Gorkha hospital in a helicopter. This is where the physiotherapy team from International Medical Corps (IMC) first met him.

At 57 years old, Gurung is physically fit after a strenuous life in the countryside. Being in good shape has helped him progress quickly. ‘I am lucky to be alive,’ he says. ‘The nine villagers that were out herding their cattle with me are still missing.’

Physiotherapist Ashok Upadhaya says: ‘Between all those hours spent on gait training, hand function exercises, and a surgery conducted at an orthopaedic camp that we organised, we have done all that we can to ensure that he can resume his normal life.’

Since beginning operations here, the IMC physiotherapy team has conducted almost 1,300 treatment sessions with more than 550 patients.