In the midst of her teenage years, fourteen-year-old Dil Maya Sunari from Palpa District in the Western Region of Nepal is already convinced of her future. She hopes to become a nurse and support others the way she has been supported at INF’s Green Pastures Hospital [GPH].

Dil Maya’s family first noticed blistering on her legs when she was just six-years-old. Blisters on her face followed but misdiagnosis saw her condition deteriorate. Eventually, she was referred to GPH where she was diagnosed with leprosy.

Unfortunately the road to recovery has been difficult for Dil Maya, as her body reacted badly to her first course of treatment at GPH. Up to 40% of leprosy patients are affected by ‘reactions’ to their treatment*, and Dil Maya suffered from fevers and nerve pains in her body which made her feel frightened.

“I get scared whenever I have the symptoms. I start thinking how I will miss my family when I have to leave them and stay alone in the hospital again,” Dil Maya says.

But Dil Maya is not alone in her leprosy. Both her father and sister have also had leprosy, although both have now completed their treatment.

Despite her reaction to the drugs Dil Maya is confident in her future. She is a great student and thanks to INF her family has received some financial assistance to assist her in continuing her studies. Once she has completed her treatment she is looking forward to returning to school and one day becoming a nurse.

*World Health Organization