Dear All ,
As we look back at the impact of our work in preparation for our annual review, we naturally reflect on our collective achievements over the past year.
Underneath the statistics and data however, are countless stories of people with remarkable resilience and the determination to recover, overcome and thrive.
I recently visited the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, which records over 8,000 cases of leprosy every year. Whilst there, we visited a village in the remote southern district of Barwani, which has the highest leprosy prevalence rate in the whole state.
It was a blazing hot day at the end of the dry season, and the landscape was scorched brown, parched like tinder. We got to the point where the car couldn’t go any further down the narrow, rocky dirt road, so we walked the last mile to visit a family whose lives had been profoundly touched by leprosy.
We met with a father, who cared for his four children alone, with only minimal income from his farming work. He was diagnosed with leprosy 10 years ago, took his drug therapy cure at the time, but still lives with the lifelong impacts and had a stubborn ulcer on the sole of his foot which gave him mobility problems.
Recently, three of his children had also been diagnosed with leprosy – one son, and two daughters. One daughter, who was around 20 years old, had a two-month old baby in her arms. Since she was diagnosed just a few weeks before, her husband had left her. He believed it must be some kind of curse.
The family welcomed us with open arms while our team tended to their physical concerns and counselled them at length about their traumatic situation. Here was this young lady, with her newborn baby, who has now been abandoned and is trying to pick up her life, whilst also coming to terms with her positive diagnosis of leprosy, and that of her siblings. She will be coming to terms with it for the rest of her life.
As we left, I spoke with Prasant, the CEO of Lepra in India. We had both been profoundly touched by the family’s story. The experience showed us again just how much a positive diagnosis of leprosy can impact your life, and that of a whole family – and the overwhelming prejudice that people face as a result.
You will discover in the upcoming issue of Lepra News, how your support is making it possible for us to lessen the physical, psychological, social and financial impact of a diagnosis, for some of the most isolated and vulnerable communities.
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With your support, we WILL beat leprosy.
Jimmy Innes
