A little TLC is the best gift you can give someone this year…
Yes! I want to help end leprosy with TLC – Total Leprosy Care! I will commit to a regular monthly donation.
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Or if you cannot commit to Total Leprosy Care, you can make a one-off donation by clicking the button below:
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Donations $2 or more are Tax Deductible.
Your generosity shines and rebuilds lives every month
Bishal is a 9 year-old boy from Nepal whose leprosy threatens to destroy his entire future. His young body has reacted against the bacteria of this deadly disease, leaving him bloated and often in pain.
Bishal needs a combination of medicines to cure his leprosy and to treat his leprosy reaction.
Without your help, Bishal and his mother will remain in anguish, constantly fearing that Bishal’s condition will worsen.
Yet thanks to people like you – and the gift of TLC – there is hope for this lovely young boy and his mother. Through your amazing support – and giving the gift of TLC – you can give children like Bishal the practical help they need to be cured, cared for, and restored to a better life.
Bishal was put on a 24 month course of Multi-Drug Therapy and is now cured of leprosy.
He also received special medication to fight against leprosy reaction (an immune system response to leprosy bacteria) and he is now making good progress with his recovery. Bishal’s family would never have been able to afford this special care and they are grateful.
The team in Nepal have been keeping in touch with them to find out how they are going and Bishal has to visit the hospital from time to time.
This is because leprosy reaction causes Bishal to feel pain all over his body every day. His skin is blistered and swollen with lesions. He often suffers from a fever.
Bishal and his mother need not only treatment and physical healing, they also need to be free of the stigma of leprosy.
It will likely take a number of years of support to help Bishal overcome leprosy reaction. To help them heal emotionally from the trauma and stigma of leprosy. Then they will need ongoing monitoring in case reaction returns.
That’s why your regular gift as a TLC Giver is so very important.
But the support they need through Total Leprosy Care takes time – lots of TIME.
Your monthly gift will provide TLC for leprosy-affected mums and children through:
- Screening and contact tracing to diagnose leprosy as early as possible – so children like Bishal
are identified as early as possible. - Healing through MDT and treatment for complications like leprosy reaction
- Counselling to recover from the emotional trauma and stigma of leprosy
- Educating communities so people like Bishal and his mum receive support not stigma!
*When you sign up as a monthly TLC Giver, or make a one-off gift of $200 or more, you will receive an extra special gift of handmade Christmas wrapping paper – the kind that Lalsari makes.
What is Total Leprosy Care?
Total Leprosy Care (TLC) starts with diagnosis of the infection and typically cures the disease and rehabilitates the patient.
This is not where TLC ends, however; sadly, the cure does not wipe out the stigma associated with the disease, and so TLC continues to provide the right support for the individual to readjust and live a happy and productive life. This can be a long and painstaking process that needs ongoing support.
The Total Leprosy Care program will give hope, encouragement, and practical support to a person affected by leprosy. As a TLC Giver you will touch the lives of the world’s poorest through your support of The Leprosy Mission Australia’s ministry of tender loving care.
Education
Learning to recognise the early signs of leprosy is vitally important if people are to avoid the long-term consequences of the disease. The Leprosy Mission runs regular education sessions that explain what the disease is, how it is spread and the importance of early detection.
Screening
Along with education, screening sessions are an invaluable tool in catching leprosy in its early stages. If leprosy can be treated within six months of a patient showing signs of the disease then the chances are extremely good that they will suffer no long-term effects.
Medication
The first breakthrough in treating leprosy came in the 1940’s but it was not until the 1980’s that an effective Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) that can cure leprosy became available. The Leprosy Mission works with local health authorities and other agencies to ensure the provision of MDT.
Surgery
If not treated early enough, patients with leprosy can be left with permanent nerve damage particularly to their hands, feet and eyes. Although surgery cannot reverse the nerve damage, in many cases it is able to vastly improve the working function of a leprosy patient’s hands or feet and through corrective surgery prevent further damage occurring
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy plays a major role in restoring as much function as possible to leprosy patients. After surgery, patients must relearn how to use their muscles and build up their strength, or be taught how to manage crutches or artificial limbs. Physio is also used to teach people affected by leprosy how to care for their insensitive hands, feet and eyes in order to prevent disability or the worsening of disability.
Support
People affected by leprosy often struggle against discrimination and stigma in their communities. Due to injuries suffered through the disease it can be difficult for them to resume the work they were once doing. The Leprosy Mission offers vocational support and other opportunities to begin a business or simply to re-engage and live full lives within society.
Become a monthly TLC Giver
Give One-Off Donation
Click here for Credit Card Terms and Conditions
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If you are already a regular giver and have any queries, please contact Georgie (tlc@leprosymission.org.au) or call 1800 LEPROSY (1800 537 767) .
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