KIT Blog

“My first reaction was that I wanted to commit suicide…”

Those were Sujadhe’s words when she found out she had leprosy four years ago.  How sad that Sujadhe felt this way… when leprosy is treatable!

Sujadhe was 16 when she first noticed skin patches and numbness in her right foot. An ulcer appeared after she got a small stone stuck in her foot. Then the deformities began…

Finding out she had leprosy was a devastating shock. All Sujadhe could think of was how disfigured she would become.

“I did not know leprosy was curable but I knew deformities could develop…I was imagining what I would look like.”

Tears roll down Sujadhe’s face when she talks about how her family reacted to her diagnosis. Instant stigma and ostracism. They abandoned plans for her arranged marriage… although this warm-hearted girl had always looked forward to marrying and having a family. Her two older sisters were especially harsh. “They did not want me in the family anymore,” says Sujadhe.

But your support has taken away this prejudice. Sujadhe’s family learned that leprosy is treatable and that she was not contagious. They now accept her as she is… a beautiful young woman with a servant heart. She looks after the cattle and buys groceries at the market for her family.

In fact, she’s been working so hard that her ulcer is not healing as it should. To give her ulcerated foot a chance to rest, she began helping out in her parents’ business instead. She stitched together banyan leaves to make the beautiful Vistaraku plates used in traditional meals, festivals and weddings… until the clawing in her hand got worse, making it harder to sew.

But because of you, reconstructive surgery has restored Sujadhe’s hand! The deformity is gone and she can use her fingers properly again. She intends to do a tailoring course… again made possible through your help!

“I’m very grateful I will have the opportunity to get a tailoring qualification through support from The Leprosy Mission… (and) I’m so happy TLM supporters in Australia enabled me to have reconstructive surgery at Salur Hospital.

“I now have a sense of hope for the future.”

To stop other young women in India from suffering like Sujadhe, you can GIVE NOW at www.leprosymission.org.au