New Jersey Woman Among More Than 3,500 Killed in Nepal Earthquake

Marisa Eve Girawong, a physician's assistant from Edison, New Jersey, was among the more than 3,500 killed in an avalanche at a Mount Everest base camp, according to a mountaineering company.

Seattle-based Madison Mountaineering's website described Girawong as an emergency room physician's assistant who was serving as the team's camp doctor. She was an avid rock climber and mountaineer who was pursuing an advanced degree in mountain medicine, the site said.

"She is loved by all of us in base camp and a great addition to our team and helped us tremendously," Garrett Madison said in a satellite phone dispatch from the mountain. "She will be missed greatly. We're very sorry for her loss."

East Orange General Hospital, where Girawong worked previously as a physician's assistant, issued a statement mourning her loss.

Girawong grew up in Edison, attended Rutgers-Newark and graduated in 2009. She received her medical training in Chicago and worked at East Orange General Hospital, then spent the last year traveling the world, documented on her social media accounts. In Nepal, she was learning about health care in extremem conditions. 

Just last week, she wrote on her Facebook page: "Training day! So much fun getting on the glacier for rappelling, ladder traversing and ice-climbing."

She also talked about missing home. Her last post, published just a few hours before she died, read: "Day 28 on this arduous journey; snow is falling and my food cravings are at an all-time high. Is a crunchy-spicy tuna roll with eel sauce too much to ask for?"

Her friends in Edison called her an "angel." Neighbors remembered Monday how she always wanted to help people. 

"There's no words that can describe what her family's going through," said neighbor Nancy Stano. "And all the other families too, the count keeps going up every day." 

In New York City, members of the Nepali community were grieving for the thousands of people killed in their homeland.

If you are looking for a loved one or have information on someone who may have been a victim, click here.

-- Jen Maxfield contributed to this report 

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