Cure One Winter Catalogue

Thanks to people like you,
Gaganand is back to being
his playful happy self.
For the 13-year-old Gaganand, life was
all about playing with friends. He loved
playing cricket. But one day, two years
ago, all this came to an abrupt end.
His mother, Savita, noticed a discoloured
patch on his body. As there was no
sensation on the patch, she thought
something was amiss. She took him to
the local doctor, who diagnosed him with
leprosy.
Savita belongs to a conservative
community in Buldhana district of
Maharashtra. People in her community
have misconceptions about the disease.
She knows people with leprosy suffer
from stigma.
She saw people shunning those affected
by leprosy and feared the same for her
son. Their social standing was under
threat if people knew that Gaganand is
affected by leprosy. They’d be boycotted.
So, Savita kept her son’s leprosy a secret.
She asked her son not to visit his friends
or play with them.
On that day Gaganand’s cheerful nature
came to an abrupt end. He turned into an
‘introverted loner’.
Savita continued discreet treatment of
her son. But after a year of medication,
Gaganand lost sensation in his hand and
feet. Also, fingers of his left hand clawed
(These are complications of leprosy.
Gaganand, with his mother Savita, at The Leprosy
Mission Kothara Hospital, after undergoing
reconstructive surgery to correct his clawed hand.
They happen when the bacterium that
causes the disease attacks nerves in the
legs and hands). The family could no
longer hide his leprosy. Their worst fear
came true – they faced alienation in the
community. Because of his disability,
Gaganand was forced to drop out of
school.
“People stopped visiting our house. They
did not want to associate with us. My
son was not allowed to play with other
children. I worried about him and my
three daughters,” says a shaken Savita.
Then great news! They heard about free
reconstructive surgery at The Leprosy
Mission hospital in Kothara. It is 150km
from their village. Savita was hopeful.
She heard that leprosy-related
deformities in hands, legs, and eyes could
be corrected. And patients could lead a
normal life.
Admitted to hospital, Gaganand had the
surgery. He is now counting the days until
he can go back to school.
Gaganand will be free from his disability
and will be able to pursue his studies
and make the most out of his life.
Thanks to people like you who provide
reconstructive surgery.
$ 500
Reconstructive Surgery 12652
Clawed hand and foot drop are leprosycaused
disabilities which can be
corrected. Provide a patient with this
surgery to enable them to move their
fingers and grip again or to use their feet
and walk! See order form centre pages.
Every 2 minutes...
12 one person is diagnosed Every 2 minutes one person is diagnosed with leprosy | Cure One Today