Trisha Rahul Patil, a bright 10-year-old from Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Trisha was just seven years old when her life took an unexpected turn-she was diagnosed with leprosy in May 2021. Her father, Rahul, is a hardworking farmer, and her mother, Seema, is a dedicated homemaker. Together with her two siblings, they have faced this challenge with remarkable resilience.

In March 2021, Trisha began experiencing weakness and a tingling sensation in her right hand, which soon escalated into a claw-like deformity affecting her ring and little fingers. Simple tasks like holding a glass of water or writing with a pencil became difficult, and her parents grew concerned about how this would impact her education and daily life.

After a year of treatment, the clawing in Trisha’s hand persisted.“Whenever she goes out people start whispering about her leprosy infection. Even in school she faced taunts. She becomes conscious of her hand and a self-stigma sets in. I feel sorry for her condition that has taken away her chirpiness,” said her mother. It was then that she met the compassionate field staff from The Leprosy Mission Hospital in Miraj. Trisha was informed that her condition required reconstructive surgery due to the deformity being present for three years.

She is now undergoing pre-surgery physiotherapy, eagerly awaiting the surgery. Dr. Vijaykumar will perform surgery on Trisha, and he is very optimistic that her hand will return to normal after the procedure, allowing her to resume all activities. Following the surgery, Trisha will need to wear a cast for three weeks and then undergo post-operative physiotherapy to regain full functionality in her hand. This is a crucial step in her journey to recovery.

Your donation can help us cover the expenses of Trisha’s surgery and rehabilitation, ensuring she gets the best possible care without placing a financial burden on her family.

As you all are aware, we are a not-for-profit hospital that depends largely on charity to provide essential treatments to our patients. Most of our patients, like Trisha, come from extremely marginalised circumstances and cannot afford treatment in private hospitals. It is also true that Leprosy treatments are not provided in most of the hospitals in India and The Leprosy Mission hospitals are almost unique in the comprehensive hospital healthcare provided to people affected by leprosy.