Donate to our Giving Tuesday campaign before Dec 3 and your gift will be doubled! Donate Now
Back to all News & Stories

HCP Co-Founder, Dr. Sanduk Ruit Biography Released

Aug 31, 2018 | news |

Dr Ruit's life is the subject of new biography titled, The Barefoot Surgeon by Ali Gripper

HCP Co-Founder, Dr. Sanduk Ruit’s extraordinary journey from a boy in a tiny Himalayan town with no school, to one of the world’s most respected and acclaimed ophthalmologists is shared in his new biography, The Barefoot Surgeon. The author, Australian journalist Ali Gripper, spent three years following and chronicling the life and thoughts of Dr. Ruit before writing his life story including his close relationship with HCP Co-Founder, Dr. Geoff Tabin and his mentor, Dr. Fred Hollows, who founded The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) in Australia. Both HCP and FHF have been long-time supporters of Dr. Ruit and the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology.

The Barefoot Surgeon is now available as an e-book in the U.S. and can be purchased via the link below.

The Barefoot Surgeon E-Book

About the Author

Ali Gripper has written features for mainstream newspapers and magazines for more than two decades including Good Weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The South China Morning Post and Country Style Magazine. She travelled to Nepal, India and Bhutan over three years to interview and observe Dr. Ruit working with patients.

"One of the great things I have earned over a period of time is the faith of my patients. It is my biggest treasure, besides my family. A beggar on the street, or a farmer from the mountains, won't come to sacrifice an eye just like that for surgery without asking around about me. They would check me out through word of mouth. All I know is that so many people have unparalleled faith in me. I really think this is a treasure that I'm going to keep for a long time until I die. It's this faith that comes even from beggars that motivates me. Faith is very important."

Join us in curing avoidable blindness around the world