Bhakta, 23, has plenty to be unhappy about. In the last year or so his life has fallen apart.
After contracting tuberculosis, a complication caused him to be paralysed from the waist down. After a period of time spent lying on his bed without treatment, he developed serious pressure sores. Even after trying expensive treatment across the border in India which used up most of his family’s savings he was no better. He was incontinent, unable to move, and waiting to die.
After hearing about INF, his father asked me to visit and we arranged for Bhakta to go to the specialist INF TB centre in Nepalgunj, where he was properly diagnosed and started on a long course of treatment. At the same time his pressure sores were dealt with and he also underwent a six-hour operation to correct another problem caused by the TB. After all that he returned to the INF clinic in Surkhet where he began his rehabilitation programme.
A few months after Bhakta started his rehabilitation, his young wife ran off and married another man, older, richer and healthy. It seems she couldn’t cope with the thought of living with Bhakta and his problems.
Despite all this, Bhakta has remained committed to his rehabilitation, has progressed well and is now capable of looking after himself. The other day a young man came to the clinic to be trained in wheelchair use. INF’s wheelchair trainer was off sick, however, and as I explained this to the young man Bhakta spoke up and said ‘I can do it’.
As I looked out of my window later that afternoon and saw Bhakta patiently teaching the young man how to manoeuvre a wheelchair I was struck by Bhakta’s ability to think beyond his own problems and reach out and help somebody else. It was a touching sight.
Written by Megan Barker.
Occupational Therapist
INF Surkhet Programme
