On a winter morning of 2021, Amit woke up to find blisters on the sole of his left foot. He consulted a doctor in a local clinic who gave him some injections and antibiotics. After taking treatment for a while, he enquired the doctor about his problem and line of treatment being followed. His doctor told him that he was trying to address the blisters. Later, he referred him to a government hospital.

After several referrals, he landed up at the Safdarjung hospital, where he was diagnosed with leprosy. Amit was advised to take multi-drug therapy (MDT) for one year. During the treatment at the Safdarjung hospital, Amit developed bilateral Lagophthalmos—a medical term for a condition when you cannot close your eyelids completely. This happens when leprosy bacteria damage the facial nerves.

If not treated effectively, and on time, lagophthalmos leads to complications, including permanent blindness. At the hospital, Amit was given eye drops, however, there was no improvement in the condition of his eyes.

Amit was referred to The Leprosy Mission (TLM) hospital in Shahdara. Hence, after completion of the one year of MDT, Amit got admitted to the TLM hospital. On doing a thorough examination, it emerged that Amit has weakness in the muscles of the eyes and hand. He was concerned about his recovery and felt that he might have to live with it for the rest of life.

The doctors and other staff members encouraged him to think positively. After the assessment was done, a treatment plan was laid out and physiotherapy sessions started for Amit. The objective was to strengthen muscles of eyes and hand with application of the muscle stimulator. It is proven to increase muscle strength and help regain muscle activity.

With intense physiotherapy, the muscle power of the eyes and hand improved significantly, and Amit was able to perform activities of daily life without any problem. It also helped prevent worsening of his condition, which could have led to a series of surgeries. The 25-year-old, who has done Postgraduation in Political Science is now back to his normal life, teaching students and also spreading awareness about leprosy. He is thankful for all the support, help and guidance he received from The Leprosy Mission.