Emotional Day!

Salman in his wheelchair

On Friday, I made a horrific discovery! At one of the slums in Bandra where the bus goes, there is a young boy in a wheelchair. Salman, is 11 years old and he sits with his legs up in the chair rather than dangling down. I was curious to know what his condition was as he could move his legs,feet and upper body. I got one of the team to ask and translate for me. It turns out that he slipped on some steps about three years ago. He injured his leg and so his parents put him in a wheelchair but never took him to hospital to see a doctor. He has been in that wheelchair for THREE YEARS and never been examined. He can't walk as his legs are now too weak and it looks like there may be permanent damaged to his stomach from being hunched up in the wheelchair. He said he hopes he will walk again someday and wants to get rid of the wheelchair. Unfortunately, Salman's parents wont take him to a doctor, probably because they know it will cost lots of money to make him better. This neglect is abuse and so many people in the slums just wont seek medical help for fear of costs. It is excellent timing that a doctor has come to run the Vision Rescue medical bus for one month so I asked him to come and have a look at the boy to try and make a diagnosis.



On Saturday, I got on the bus as usual and met up with the kids in Mahim. Whilst I was there I met Karthik, who works as one of the main fundraisers for Greenpeace India. We had a good chat about India and the work I was doing. He was so encouraged and will hopefully try and help out with future ideas. We then moved onto Bandra. The doctor was not available till later but on of the other staff members, Louisa, had come along to find out more information about Salman. She established some more facts and we were able to speak to the mother. We told her about the doctor and she agreed to bring Salman back later for the doctor to look at him. Around 3pm we travelled back to Bandra and the doctor was able have a look at Salman's condition. The legs have basically deteriorated through lack of use but he thought there might also be a small amount of paralysis. The condition of his stomach was due to sitting in the wheelchair for three years. The good news is that the doctor says treatment is available that will help Salman to walk again but it may not be 100%. He needs injections and electronic stimulation of the muscles to get them working again. This treatment will cost money but it will change Salman's life as he will be able to walk again. I thought Salman's condition was bad but I then saw another boy which almost reduced me to tears. In another area of the same slum lives a family with lots of children when we visited them they produced this boy from a sack like hammock - Oh my!! This child had Cerebral Palsy and looked awful. There was no muscle on his arms and legs, very little moment, no control over his facial muscles and obvious in severe pain. He was tiny and I guessed he was about 4 years old. The shock came when they told me he was 12 years old. For 12 years he has been kept in this hammock with no medical care or treatment. He is so handicapped that the doctor was at a loss for what to suggest. At this point the parents were in tears. After long discussions we established that there was a hospital about 30 mins away specifically for physically handicapped children and adults. We decided to go and visit and it look in good condition and the patients seemed to be well cared for. This would be an ideal place for us to try and get both boys the help they need. On Monday we will go back to the Bandra and try to discuss the treatment available with the parents. It is so good to know that there is hope yet for these kids but I can't stop thinking about why this is allowed to happen. If medical help and support is available free of charge to these people then lives can be changed and these children would not need to suffer. I pray that the funding can be found for the two boys and that they can be give a future! I have added a picture of Salman but did not feel it appropriate to photograph the other boy without permission.