American Falls mother, son prepares for medical mission to Nepal

A mother and her son are preparing for a humanitarian trip to Nepal in southeast Asia next Friday. They are going to help deliver medical supplies to those in a remote village.

“First we’re going to purchase medical supplies in Kathmandu, then we’re going to travel to a remote village which is a two-day hike,” said Britton Bolgen, a sophomore at American Falls High School.

Lee Ann Bolgen, a nurse at the Portneuf Medical Center, won a scholarship for the medical mission.

“I work at Portneuf and they offer up a couple of scholarships every year and I applied, and I was lucky enough to get one,” said Lee Ann.

That’s when she got the idea to bring her son along.

“It’s been years and years that I’ve been wanted to do this with him. So this opportunity came up and I texted him at school and he came home and said, ‘oh really mom?!’ and I said yes, yes, we’re going to go,” said Lee Ann.

This trip is sponsored by the JMR foundation. It’s their 6th year doing it and adopted the name of “Hike for Humanity.”

When we spoke to mother and son, they were preparing for a fundraiser that was held on Saturday night to help pay for the medical supplies.

“Just reading and knowing what’s going on in these other countries, it hurts my heart. I really would like to help them I love helping people, it makes me feel good,” said Lee Ann.

The money donated at the fundraiser will be matched by the JMR Foundation.