Reynoldsburg Bhuthanese Refugee Follows His Life Dream Chandra Sinchuri Lands On His Feet Becomes a catalyst for his native people serious. He is there for them in Reynoldsburg and much more in the Central Ohio area, where his countrymen are spread out, some 40,000 strong. He knows it and respects it. He is one of the first medical line of defense for most people not requiring immediate medical attention. It wasn’t always that easy for Sinchuri and his family. He spent 17 years in a refugee camp in Nepal, having fled from Bhutan, under a plastic roof and dirt floor and scarce food allotment. He slept on bamboo beds, under miserable conditions where his basic food was almost non-existent. But when he was 12-years-old, he had a dream. He pretty much knew that his future was limited: either become a local teacher of math and science which he was good at, or go for something higher like a doctor or a pharmacist. While in one of seven Nepali by Les Somogyi There was a time in Chandra Sinchuri’s life when he had no future, no “next day.” But subsequent hope, extensive and unrelenting dreaming and perseverance ultimately delivered him to Reynoldsburg where he can now utilize his knowledge and his training to help his fellow countrymen in the way they live their lives. Was it worth it? He says, yes. He sacrificed a lot of his youthful time and a lot of his own self. Sinchuri, his wife Dambi, and three children have settled in Reynoldsburg and opened a pharmacy about two years ago to capitalize on his own personal dreams and ultimately hard-earned training of a lifetime. WellCare Pharmacy on East Main Street is Reynoldsburg Magazine • Spring, 2022 the result of those many years of hard work, and the belief that if you dream hard and follow through, anything is possible. Today, Sinchuri is serving customers, mostly from his beloved homeland of Bhutan, but also from the land of Nepal where he ended up a refugee. He speaks and interacts with Nepali customers as they come into his shop on Main Street in Reynoldsburg. He helps them one item at a time, speaking his native language, and pledging that his goal in life is to bridge the culture gap, help his people to become safer, educate them so that they become more self-sufficient and realize that what he went through many years ago was with a true purpose. It could be just a headache medicine, or it could be more refugee camps at the time, and being one of some 25,000 displaced people, along with his five brothers and a sister, Sinchuri took his daily rice ration given to him every 15 days and stuck it out. He trusted the United Nations-run refugee camp and patiently waited out his time. Then, one day, his number came up. He was chosen to immigrate to the United States. Initially, he landed in Florida, moved to Arizona and by the grace of God, he was able to enter the University of Arizona’s School of Pharmacy, one of his life dreams. Sinchuri’s teenage dream ultimately became a reality. Today, he is a viable member of the Reynoldsburg community with a purpose of educating his Nepali and Buthanese community members, giving them health services that they seldom had and keeping them safe on a daily basis. 9
10 Publizr Home