DETROIT – Dr. Richard Keidan, surgical oncologist at Beaumont Hospital, first visited Nepal in the early '80s.
"I took a year off surgical residency, looking for adventure, including going to the Himalayas," said Keidan. "My relationship changed over the years when I became much more attached and fell in love with the culture and the people."
Five years ago he created Detroit 2 Nepal, a nonprofit aimed at improving public health, health care and education opportunities for children in remote Himalayan villages and in the greater Detroit area.
The earthquake Friday that left thousands dead and widespread devastation in Nepal left Keiden heartbroken.
"Even though our project area, our villages are probably 300 miles roughly from the epicenter of the earthquake," said Keidan. "I got reports that all of our projects have been damaged significantly or destroyed."
The nonprofit is now changing the purpose of its upcoming annual fundraiser to help with the earthquake relief.
It's called Over the Edge and it gives those who like an adrenaline rush the chance to rappel off the First National Building downtown. The vertical drop from the roof is 341 feet.
The event will be held on May 8 to raise money for Detroit2Nepal. Some of the proceeds will go to the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program.
"We will still commit our supports for DAPCEP and all the students going through that wonderful program," said Keidan. "But it is proper that all of our other funds will be going to our disaster relief fund.
To learn more about the Over the Edge fundraiser, visit Detroit 2 Nepal's website.