INTERVIEW Medical students drive to Mongolia for charity

When most college students finish up exams for the summer they usually have plans for how they will spend it. They might go for the popular J1 visa and head to the States. They might travel around Europe. They might take in some festivals. 

 
For Ballina native Tristram Hills, none of the above was an option. Instead the 22-year-old, third-year Medicine student will be embarking on the trip of a lifetime to a much less popular destination – Mongolia – with fellow med students, Robin McManus from Roscommon and Grant Dawson from Canada. Why? 

Probably because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but also because it’s a way to raise funds for charity.

The expedition, which leaves on July 6 from Dublin, starts the same day the three men finish their exams at the Royal College of Surgeons. ‘The Omega 3’, as they’ve named themselves, will drive a patient-transport vehicle across almost 18 countries over 40 days, with Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, firmly in their sights the whole way. And what a long way it is: They’ll cover more than 10,000 miles in total. 

Their van is one of 30 emergency vehicles that will make the journey. The trio did investigate whether they could get an ambulance for the trek, but insurance and driving-licence issues made it impossible. That said, their 2003 Fiat Doblo, which has been modified to include a wheelchair ramp and a hoist, will be put to good use: It will remain in Mongolia where it will be used as a lifeline to help people in need of assistance in remote areas of the country.

Omega 3 is the only Irish group taking part in what Tristram calls ‘a rally like no other’. Explaining how the idea came about, Tristram pins the blame on Robin. A friend of Robin’s had previously taken part in the charity rally, and he was inspired by it.

“Robin came in one day and said to myself and Grant that ‘he had an idea’, and with his flair for adventure I knew it would be something special,” Tristram explains to The Mayo News. “Once we started talking about it, we just said OK, let’s just do it.”

The students pooled their own money together to purchase the vehicle, which will be donated at the rally’s end to Go Help. The charity works with communities in Central Asia to improve access to education, health care and also run an ambulance service in the country. Two other charities will also benefit from the Omega 3’s fundraising efforts: Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and Right To Sight. Describing medicine as his ‘one true love’ Doctors Without Borders was Tristram’s personal choice.

The team is currently in the middle of fundraising to cover fuel costs, parts and ferry costs for the transport of the vehicle – fundraisers include a live Catchphrase evening with celebrity host Roy Walker this Wesdnesday, June 27, at the Mayfly Hotel, Foxford (tickets €20). All donations to the fund will be used to get the vehicle to Mongolia and for the three charities. Throughout the journey, Omega 3 will be keeping a blog for their families, friends and supporters on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blog sites.

Perils 

Such a huge undertaking, involving so many countries as well as serious time constraints, is a logistical nightmare. So much so, that Tristram says speaking to The Mayo News about the trip is a welcome rest from filling out visa applications. 

But what about the possible dangers? Border raids? Kidnappers? Bandits? Tristram’s voice grows serious as he explains what’s involved in preparing for the harsh reality of what lies ahead.

“We can’t have the three of us sleeping at any one time at stopovers. Kazakhstan, for example, is known as ‘bandit country’. If it’s dark one of us will stay awake for six hours and so on, but we want to avoid this as much as possible.”

Understandably, the lads’ mothers had a lot to say about this aspect of the trip. 

“Obviously we have received some concerned phone-calls and questions from our parents. Only recently we had a ‘mums meeting’, to try and dampen their fears and actually explain to them what is going to go on,” Tristram says, while joking that his father, Chris, is more worried about his son’s exams.

Still, all three members of Omega 3 are taking every precaution they can, including making sure they are contactable at all times. “We are looking into getting a satellite phone and should have coverage on phones the majority of the way to Mongolia,” Tristram explains. 

Expect a few calls from your mammies lads.

Donations can be made to help Omega 3 raise funds at www,justgiving.com/teams/theomega3