Canton doc to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for sick patients

As the chief of medical oncology and hematology at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Dr. Karim Malek knows firsthand how precious and fragile life can be.

Dr. Karim Malek

It’s the reason that he follows his passions and is constantly seeking out new adventures, whether it be learning to fly an airplane or scuba diving with sharks — or scaling tall mountains, as he plans to do this summer as part of his next transnational excursion.

“Having seen people of all backgrounds being faced with life and death issues, I’ve learned that if you want to do something, do it now. Don’t wait,” advised Malek, a Canton resident since 2001. “I am a firm believer in living life to the fullest extent.”

In keeping with that life philosophy, Malek, a native of Egypt, will journey back to his home continent in July where he will attempt to climb to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s highest peak and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The journey will take him eight days to complete, ending, if all goes as planned, atop the Uhuru Peak at an elevation of 19,341 feet above sea level.

For Malek, this will be his first attempt at a climb of this magnitude, and while Kilimanjaro is not as technically demanding as many similar sized mountains, he will still have to contend with numerous physical and geographical challenges along the way — everything from altitude sickness and possible hypothermia to high winds and even rock slides.

“There are no ropes or rappelling involved, but Kilimanjaro is a long hike requiring lots of endurance,” said Malek, whose highest climb to date is around 11,000 feet in Venezuela. “I’ll have to train regularly, and I’ll have to manage some old injuries, including my knees and my back, but I know I will learn something about myself in the process.”

More than just a personal test of endurance, however, this particular journey will also serve as a fundraiser for one of his favorite charities: Angel Flight Northeast, a local nonprofit that provides free air transportation to patients and family members in need.

Founded in Beverly in 1996 by retired business owner and pilot Larry Camerlin, Angel Flight NE has since flown more than 62,000 patients and family members from various locations throughout the northeast to hospitals in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and other major cities. Approximately half of the patients are children suffering from life-threatening cancer, severe burns or crippling diseases, and there is no limit to the number of free flights a person can receive.

A nonprofit 501(c)3 charity, Angel Flight relies on the generosity of its donors and its volunteer corps of over 1,000 private pilots — including Malek himself, who has completed dozens of missions since joining the organization in June of 2008.

“Angel Flight is a big part of my flying,” said Malek, praising the organization for its emphasis on safety and its commitment to saving lives.

He said the Angel Flight website posts daily lists of available missions, and the pilots simply choose the ones they are willing to complete. He also likes the fact that the individual pilot has the final say on cancelling a flight, regardless of the reasons involved.

In Malek’s case, he generally completes about five or six missions a year, and he cherishes the experience both as a doctor and as a flying enthusiast.

“Flying is one of the greatest endeavors of my life,” he said. “When you’re flying, it consumes every inch of your thinking. It’s an incredible mental exercise and I enjoy that tremendously.”

Malek said he acquired an interest in flying at an early age, but it was not until 2003, while laid up in bed recovering from a severe back injury, that he finally decided to give it a try.

Inspired by a television special on the 100^th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight, he decided to sign up for flying lessons at Norwood Airport and instantly fell in love, eventually obtaining his full pilot’s license.

He later bought his own plane, and over the past decade he has logged almost 900 hours of flight time, including trips to South Carolina and a particularly memorable flight over Niagara Falls.

And while he initially feared that flying would compete for his time with scuba diving, another passion of his, Malek realized that he could very easily do both.

Among his favorite places to dive is Cocos Island off the coast of Costa Rica, an area known for its high concentration of sharks. Malek likes to dive at night, when the sharks move in by the hundreds to feed.

“You have to keep your complete cool,” he explained. “You have to learn that sharks are unpredictable. The top rule is that you are tolerated but not welcome. Similar to flying, you have to know that this is not your natural environment.”

Although he may seem like a thrill seeker, Malek insists that there’s another reason he’s drawn to such high-risk pursuits.

“It’s not for the thrill of it,” he said. “It’s certainly not how much I can get away with. Really, it’s that I want to get as close as possible to nature.”

Malek credits his wife of 22 years and high school sweetheart, Amani, for allowing him the freedom to explore and for encouraging him to pursue his dreams.

“She deserves a lot of the credit,” he said. “My wife and I see the world differently, for sure, but she’s never been anything but fully supportive in all of these endeavors.”

Together the two of them have lived all over the world, going from Egypt to France to the United States, with various stops in between.

Malek said living in the U.S. has been incredibly positive, and he is proud today to call himself an American and to live in a place where he can freely chase his dreams.

“My experience living in the states has been nothing but comfortable,” he said. “You get to bring in your individuality and there’s no divorce of your past.”

Now he’s on to his next adventure — one that he hopes will take him to new heights, both literally and figuratively.

On Kilimanjaro he will “push the limits” and challenge himself physically and mentally, and he will dedicate it all to the “fellow men and women, children and adults alike, who have their own mountain to climb: sick patients.”

Malek’s goal is to raise awareness and much-needed funds for Angel Flight NE, and his motto for these efforts is a fitting one: “Together we can save lives — one footstep at a time.”

Click here for more information about Dr. Malek’s fundraiser or to donate to Angel Flight on his behalf.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=20073

Posted by Jay Turner on Apr 18 2013. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.