Because there were a lot of BYU nurses, I didn’t always get
to go out to the colonies with them. Instead I listen to them talk about it at
night. But I did get to go towards the end of their session. Obviously, the
nurses had first dibs on the stations so I was able to mingle, take photos,
etc. This is my FAV photo from that day/possibly time in India so far. I love
it for so many reasons.
Anyways, mingling around was just as humbling as washing
their feet. At one point we had to find a latrine so we were led farther into
the colony to a house that had one. An older couple lived there, and they were
sitting in their front room (aka on their cement floor) as we walked in. The
husband has very advanced leprosy causing all his fingers to be gone—rendering
his hands more or less useless. He had quiet a few toes missing too. His wife
was sitting there sobbing with her left leg wrapped tightly around a board. I
guess a few weeks back she fell while cooking dinner and broke her leg pretty
bad. The medical team had just re-wrapped it so I’m not sure if that irritated
it or if she was just hurting in general. But on top of whatever physical pain
she was feeling (if any I guess) she was very distraught over the situation
that breaking her leg has created. Because of her husband’s condition, she is
the sole provider for the family as well as his 24-hour caretaker. But with her
having a severely broken leg that has at least temporarily caused her to be
immobile, she has not been able to work or even do much to take of her herself
let alone her husband. I am sure other people in the colony are helping them
some but it was still so sad. There wasn’t much we could do other then listen
to her cry and be sympathetic. We gave her some tissues and rubbed her back and
hands some, and actually stayed there for a decent amount of time considering.
It was very emotional. Frustrating because I felt so helpless but I honestly
feel like I was comforted simply from comforting her. At the end her husband pointed to a picture
of Christ they had hanging on the wall and started petitioning us to pray to
Him on behalf of his wife—all through hand actions/charades of course. His
faith was simply amazing. There was a lot of love in that room. It just never
ceases to amaze me how much I learn from being in the colonies. I learn a lot everyday
no matter what I do but there is a certain intenseness at the colonies. It
really is hard to put into words.
A few of the nurses were doing interviews with patients from
the colony asking them questions about their life, their diagnoses, etc. A
nursing student named Janeen was telling me about her interviewing experience. The lady she had talked to found out she had
leprosy at 11 years old. One morning she work up and her hand was severely
burned because it had been sitting on the hot lamp all night. She must have
turned over and flung out her arm or something. But she knew that a normal hand
would of felt that, and she had not. All night long. She didn’t tell any of her
family members because she didn’t want them to be associated with the disease
in anyway due to the stigma and hardship it would bring to them. Instead she
decided to leave that night. 11 years old and she left home without telling any
of her family goodbye. I’m not sure I remember all the other details of the
story so I am not going to attempt to fill them in, but that part that hit me
the hardest was her not telling her family and leaving home to face the world
alone at age 11. I have a niece that is 11. And although she is smart and
independent it makes me sick to think of something so horrible happening to her
let alone having her disappear from our lives with no explanation. Unfortunately, these stories are not
uncommon. The suffering is so great and I feel like it is so extreme over a
bacteria that can be cured with antibiotics. It is amazing what societal norms
can turn something into, whether it is for the better or worse.
