Sherpa’s doctor confirms gangrenous toes

An attending physician treating Dale Abenojar and his 21-year-old Nepali guide Pasang Dorchi Sherpa lambasted Dr. Ted Esguerra of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition (FPMEE) yesterday for accusing his patients of faking their injuries to support their claim that Abenojar reached the summit of Mount Everest ahead of celebrated climbers Leo Oracion and Erwin "Pastour" Emata.

Esguerra had expressed skepticism that Abenojar managed to scale Everest despite a gangrene infection in his left big toe caused by frostbite.

One of his Nepali guides, Pasang Sherpa, may lose nine toes because of gangrene. He and Abenojar are being treated at Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center in San Juan.

Dr. Edgar Eufemio, one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country who practices at Cardinal Santos and at the Philippine General Hospital, said Esguerra was not in a position to pass judgment on his patients’ condition because Esguerra had not examined their injuries.

An examination confirmed that Abenojar and Pasang’s toes were infected with gangrene, Eufemio said.

"They’re black, they’re dead, they’re gangrenous," Eufemio, head of PGH’s department of orthopedic sports clinic and a respected doctor of top sports celebrities, told The STAR.

"Was he able to look at the injuries, in the first place, for him to make those statements?" Eufemio asked in an interview in his clinic at Cardinal Santos after dressing Abenojar’s toe yesterday afternoon.

Abenojar cautioned against making "irresponsible accusations" against the Mountaineering Association of Tibet and his two Sherpa guides, Pasang and Tshiring Sherpa.

"He might be declared persona non grata in Tibet especially if the Mountaineering Association of Tibet learns that he is saying that they can be bribed," Abenojar said, noting that the FPMEE plans to return there to make another climb next year.

Abenojar also said it was unfair to accuse him of resorting to bribery to back his claim, saying his quest was a cash-strapped venture.

Funding problems are still dogging him and his group, he said.

"Actually, we weren’t able go home immediately from Nepal because we could not pay our hospital bills there. So my wife had to do some fundraising here," he said.

"We were saying that we had to stay there because we had unfinished business but the truth was, we also had unpaid bills."

Yesterday, friends and supporters helped the Abenojars and Pasang pack up and move to the much cheaper PGH, still under Eufemio’s care.

"I was overwhelmed by our bill for the past three days," he said.

Abenojar claimed to have outraced the FPMEE’s Oracion and Emata, who were sponsored by broadcast giant ABS-CBN, and Romeo Garduce, whose quest was backed by rival network GMA-7.

Oracion reached the summit on May 17 and Emata the following day. Abenojar claims to have reached the top earlier, on May 15.

Esguerra, one of FPMEE’s five-member support group, was incredulous that Abenojar was able to reach the summit despite the reported gangrene in his toe.

He pointed out that Abenojar spent several days before flying back to Manila to seek the necessary medical treatment, saying the patient would have died from infection if left untreated that long.

Esguerra added that Abenojar’s certificate — issued by the Mountaineering Association of Tibet of the Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China to support his claim — may be dubious.

He said the Sherpas who helped Abenojar in his quest may have been paid to back up his claim. He wants a meeting with Abenojar to test him: "I want to meet him, ask him about his climb. He can’t fool me."

Abenojar’s camp plans to answer questions about his supposed feat at a later time to avoid making statements that could inadvertently escalate the dispute into a quarrel.

He maintained that he has proof of his feat. "We will present it to the people in due time," Abenojar said.