The devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake that killed thousands changed the lives of many in the Himalayan nation. But it was the beginning of a friendship for two girls who each lost a leg in the tremor.
Khendo Tamang (left) and Nirmala Pariyar share a light moment at the trauma care center of Bir Hospital during their treatment in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept 8, 2015. NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP
The devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake that killed thousands changed the lives of many in the Himalayan nation. But it was the beginning of a friendship for two girls who each lost a leg in the tremor.
Nirmala Pariyar and Khendo Tamang were 7 and 8 years old when they met at a hospital in Kathmandu after they were brought there for treatment. Both were injured during the April 25, 2015, earthquake, which damaged more than 1 million houses and buildings in Nepal.
Tamang and Pariyar try out their prosthetic legs for the first time at a rehabilitation center in Kathmandu on Aug 19, 2015. NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP
Pariyar comforted Tamang. "You've lost one leg, and so have I. But we survived. Isn't that beautiful?" Pariyar said 10 years ago.
They shared the same hospital bed and supported each other. They went on to attend the same boarding school.
Tamang and Pariyar play a game on a cellphone as they share a bed at the trauma care center of Bir Hospital on July 6, 2015. NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP
"Our friendship is still strong and she has been my biggest support even during the times when I am away from family," Pariyar said.
"When I sometimes miss my family and cry, she is always there for me," she added. "She has been not just a friend but like my own sister to me."
Tamang (right) and Pariyar play in the courtyard of Bir Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug 19, 2015. NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP
