When we stepped into the place, the first thing I noticed was the sign above the entrance. “Satya
Jeevan Leprosy Society” it said. With a picture of a doctor leaning over a patient’s leg. The bright colors of the sign distracted from the sad truth it told. This was a place where people came because they were sick, and there was no plan to make them better.
The place was filled with the sick and their families – they moved into the colony to take care of their sick parents. We immediately were welcomed by bunches of children who all wanted to get their picture taken and mothers who wanted us to hold their babies. All the kids were so excited to see us.
Each family had a two room “apartment” in the long narrow buildings that made up the place. The rooms were so small that a twin bed barely fit in one. One of the families that we met (the family of two of the boys here at Asha) had two rooms for grandma, mom and dad and two more little boys.
We met so many people, mostly older adults who suffering from leprosy. They had bandaged hands, arms, feet and legs and were missing fingers and toes. At first it was hard to look in their face as you shook whatever was left of their hands and said “Namaste”. But soon you couldn’t help but look at their faces. All of them seemed so beautiful in their pain and so wise in their old age.
We got to talk to one man, Baba, who told us of his life. He said he got leprosy when he was 12 and was only treated for it a few years ago. The treatment is just 3 weeks of pills, cheap and easy to us, but too expensive for people here. He is missing most of his hands and feet, but he after talking to him and praying for him, he stood up and wanted a picture with me. Baba is not his illness, but a wise man who just wants to share his wisdom with others. I feel like every time I meet someone like him, someone like Victor, I learn more and get more out of my time with them than they do with me. Sometimes I feel like I’m not traveling around the world ministering to others, but I’m traveling around the world being ministered to.
