This is Kamal's Story

In the corner of the women’s leprosy ward at Anandaban Hospital, a little boy sat with his head in his hands.

A beautiful young woman dressed in bright red sat next to him on the bed, her long black hair pinned skilfully around her face. She looked like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

As the hospital counsellor pulled up a chair, it was obvious why this young woman was concerned. The little boy’s face was covered in patches and lumps. Kamal was just seven years old and he had leprosy. This was her precious son. As you can imagine, she was distraught with worry.

Premila is 30, and mum to Kamal and his two siblings. Her youngest child is just five.

Like so many in her village, Premila couldn’t afford to go to school and she is illiterate. Her husband Romesh is a builder and together the family lives in one of the poorest and most rural communities in Nepal.

Their home collapsed in the 2015 earthquake, and now they live in a mud hut with two small living spaces. The monsoon rains drip through the tin roof, and there is little respite from the heat of the summer sun.

Her hands clasped tightly on her lap, Premila struggled to make eye contact with the counsellor as she shared about her life.

“It’s so hard to make a living in my village. I have a small piece of land and grow enough to feed us for 4-5 months. But after that it’s really difficult and I worry constantly.”

Kamal is not the first person in her family to have leprosy. Her husband was diagnosed three years ago.

“We didn’t know about leprosy, so Romesh ignored the symptoms for almost four years. He had blisters on his feet and patches on his face, but he had to keep working to feed us. He kept saying his hands and feet were heavy and he couldn’t feel them. I was really scared. When the colour of the skin on his face changed, everyone kept asking us what was wrong. Romesh hid in the house for a few weeks and just said it was a skin problem. Traditional medicine didn’t work, and it was only when someone from a health centre sent us here that he was finally given the cure.”

Little Kamal first started showing symptoms four months ago. But following local culture, Premila took him to a traditional healer.

Can you imagine the trauma when they were told that he had been cursed by the snake god?

Fear took hold of the family as they tried their best to make this snake god happy with prayers and offerings. But nothing seemed to lift the curse. What whispers must Kamal have heard and what effect did this have on him?

At just seven, he couldn’t understand why they were going to the temple and wondered what he had done wrong.

Romesh eventually said it must be leprosy, and he sent Premila and Kamal to Anandaban Hospital. Kamal was diagnosed quickly and welcomed onto the women’s ward with his mum. He’ll need to take tablets for a year, a long time for a little boy.

The tears fell softly on her lap as Premila asked

“Why my husband and my son? Why have we been cursed? What if all my children get leprosy?”

The counsellor explained that the family hadn’t been cursed and that this was a disease that Premila didn’t have to fear. They would ensure Kamal’s siblings were tested quickly.

Kamal doesn’t really understand the implications of the disease, but he says his tongue is very sore and he’s also struggling to breathe through his nose. Premila is just desperate for his face to heal so there are no more visible signs of leprosy. And she needs this to happen quickly because she has to get home.

Like any loving mum, as she spoke about missing her family, her voice cracked with emotion.

“My heart is with my children. I want to hold them and feed them. No relatives would look after my other children when I came here. Not one said they will care for them. They don’t want us because of leprosy. We’re not family to them anymore. They have disowned us. I had to leave them with neighbours. I’m so worried, especially about my youngest daughter.”

On top of all of this, Premila was awake at night thinking about everything that needed to be done at home to ensure survival.

“There’s no-one looking after the land. If I don’t go home soon, we’ll lose our food. It’s wheat and corn season and we need the crop.”

It seemed like far too much for one woman to cope with. Premila took Kamal’s hand in hers.

“I want Kamal to grow and study, to have a good life. Maybe one day he’ll take care of others like the nurses here. I’m so thankful for this hospital. I couldn’t help my husband or my son because we have no money for medicine. If treatment wasn’t free for us, I don’t know what we would do.”

Because of the kindness of supporters like you, Kamal’s leprosy has been caught and treated quickly. Your funding means he won’t struggle with loss of feeling or future disability. What an amazing gift for this young boy! He can go back to his community and back to school. His future is now full of hope. And one day, he’ll be able to take care of his lovely mum who works so hard to provide for her family.

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