Ramesh Mahato is 47 years old, single, and resides in the Chapatto village of the Seraikella district of Jharkhand. His life has always been hard, but he could not have imagined the turn it would take, seven years ago, when he developed a blister on his left foot. He thought he’d treated it successfully, but two years later, when he had an accident in the same leg, he was not so lucky – he developed a weakness of the leg. He comes from a family of six, including two elderly parents, and they all struggle to make ends meet, working as small farmers. As his work is labour-intensive, he suddenly found himself unable to work on the farm and to contribute to his family’s income.
He visited three private practitioners, all of whom misdiagnosed him, until a fourth doctor directed him to the Leprosy Mission Hospital in “Purulia”. Here, he was correctly diagnosed with leprosy, and put on a treatment course, which cured him of his disease.
But, Ramesh was left with the battle scars of the disease – he had the deformity in left leg. There was a lot of social stigma to the disease in his village, and Ramesh could never participate in any social functions, living the life of a recluse.
Damien Foundation health workers identified him and taught him simple self–care techniques to protect the feet and prevent it from further worsening, provided counseling and assessed him for eligibility for deformity correction surgery. They found him eligible for surgery and he is willing.
Your generous donations will certainly help him get back on his feet, to be a social being with self-respect and self-confidence.
