Please accept our gratitude for extending your kind support towards people who are affected by leprosy. We are particularly grateful to you all for keeping people affected by leprosy in your hearts when COVID-19 pandemic has impacted us all so severely.

Today, I wish to bring to your kind notice the case of a young girl who has been severely affected by leprosy.

Shivani, 15, daughter of a marginal farmer from Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh, observed a few patches growing all over her body, but as a matter of habit, she ignored them. It was only when she burned her hand while performing her chores that her alarms went off. What concerned her was the fact that she did not feel the burn.

Shivani was diagnosed with leprosy at a hospital in Kanpur. The doctors put her on multi-drug therapy (MDT). Much to the family’s dismay, in the initial days of taking MDT, Shivani’s conditions worsened. Her fingers started showing signs of clawing and her body swelled up, forcing her parents to consult a specialist. At this point they came to know about the Leprosy Mission Trust India’s (TLMTI) hospital in Naini, Prayagraj.

At the TLMTI hospital, she received timely and effective treatment for her ulcers, which have now fully healed. Movement of her fingers has seen improvement due to physiotherapy, but Shivani still requires reconstructive surgery to fully restore the mobility of her hand. Shivani has a long way to go, but as they say, believing is half the battle won. TLM has not only filled Shivani with confidence and hope, but also given her family the assurance they will not have to spend a penny to offer their daughter a chance at a healthy and promising life. Will you help us guide Shivani into that future?