Impact Stories

Ms. Mehroonisha is a 36 years old single mother with two kids of village Falna, block- Bali of district Pali in the state of Rajasthan

Life with leprosy:

Before leprosy, she was happily living with her husband and kids. When she was diagnosed with leprosy, her life changed suddenly. It was really shocking for her when she came to know that she had leprosy. She started feeling low and depressed. Her husband and other family members started ignoring and abusing her. Her husband left her 3 months after she was diagnosed with leprosy. She was devastated and couldn’t think of what to do. She started working as a maid in the neighboring families for supporting herself and the children.

Diagnosis for leprosy and her feeling:

About two years ago in 2019, she started feeling redness in her eyes and some spots on her face. Initially, she didn’t care much about it and kept ignoring it. One day when the government NMS came to visit her village, she contacted him and informed him about the condition. After the initial assessment, the NMS took her to the PHC where she was diagnosed with leprosy. Immediately her treatment was started; it was in November 2019.

Impact on her and family after diagnosis:

Leprosy severely affected her and the family, especially her husband. He abandoned her along with her children. But with the support and advise of the NMS and other health staff, she gained her strength and started working and slowly her life got better

Treatment and support from the health department:

She received her course of MDT free of cost. The NMS regularly followed her up during the treatment and provided all necessary support. The NMS also supported her in getting a disability pension which she is receiving every month.

People and family responses after treatment:

Even after a few months of completing the treatment, the family was still ignoring her and not contacting her or the kids. But the neighbors are now good with her and they ask about her wellbeing; they do not discriminate against her and her kids.

Role and impact of NLRIF on her life:

As Mehroonisha said, “NLR India Foundation supported me a lot. They trained me on self-care techniques for my eyes, hands, and feet to prevent them from further damage. Now, I am practicing these exercises regularly at home and have started gaining sensation and strength. I am really feeling good and will keep doing these exercises. They also informed and detailed about the government disability pension scheme and elaborated on the process and with the support of them and NMS, I have started getting the pension. They regularly support me in getting medicines like eye drops, goggles, and counseling”.

Future ambitions:

She is now very happy. “Now, as I am returning to normal life, I am very happy and want to get rid of all the bad memories. Thanks to NLRIF staff and NMS who guided and supported me a lot during my tough times and still they are looking for my well-being. My only wish is to educate my kids so that they will be able to stand on their feet and become independent”, she acknowledged.