Every other Wednesday the Medical Team takes some of our patients from the colonies & any of our children on campus who need medical attention to Ramachandra Hospital in Chennai. The volunteers are paired up with one patient and then assist them throughout the hospital, making sure they get seen by the doctor and receive the necessary tests, procedures, and treatment needed. India does not believe in organization or standing in line waiting your turn. So due to the stigma of leprosy, our patients could easily be overlooked and never see the doctor. Thus, having a volunteer assist helps avoid that tragedy from happening. I also realized on this particular trip to the hospital that not only are we helping our patients receive the care they need, we are also breaking the stigma by being seen with them in a public place. It is opening doors for us to educate the community about leprosy and spread awareness; lack of awareness and ignorance is the reason the stigma still exists. I will explain how I came to this realization later...
I was able to spend the day taking care of sweet little 6 year old Sudha. Sudha is one of the kiddos at Rising Star. In the past few weeks she and I have really connected, so it was neat to have a whole day to ourselves. On the way she demanded to sit on my lap, so the whole 2 hour bus ride I had Sudha on my lap. It was fun to see India through her eyes as she would point at things we'd pass and make little comments. At one point we were passing an open field and a naked man was walking right on through it. Sudha's face was priceless as she chuckled with her hand over her mouth..it was hilarious. Eventually she fell asleep and not long after...so did I. Another volunteer snapped the cute candid, which I love. When she woke up she gave a little kiss on the cheek and we geared up for the hospital visit.
After I paired all of the volunteers up with their patients and sent them in the direction they needed to go, Sudha and I went to the registration desk to get her checked in. While we were waiting there were many stares in our direction, probably wondering what a white girl was doing with an Indian child. A woman I was sitting next to spoke a little English and started asking questions. First she asked Sudha in Tamil what she was doing here. Recently we found a white spot on the inside of her left knee; a patch of white skin is one of the first signs of leprosy. As Sudha was showing this woman the spot on her knee and telling her about it in Tamil, I saw it all over the woman's face when she realized what we were doing there. Immediately she started asking me in her broken English, "Aren't you scared?". I took the opportunity to try to communicate through the language barrier that leprosy is nothing to be afraid of and tried to spread awareness about it. That was when I realized what a huge door we are opening by bringing the volunteers along with our patients on our hospital visits. I don't know if she got the point, but at least I gave it my best shot.
After registration we headed to the dermatology department, where Sudha's skin was screened and evaluated. The doctor decided to do a skin biopsy. Knowing what that entailed, I asked if I could be in the room with Sudha while they did the procedure...gratefully they allowed me. I held her in my arms and covered her eyes while they took a scalpel to her knee, peeled a layer of skin, and stitched it back up. It was definitely my low for the day, hearing her sobs and pleas "Don't make them..." (meaning don't make them do this). I grabbed my iPod and showed her the video of my niece Katelyn dancing in one of my tutu's. (Side note: She ADORES this video; she watched it at least 10 times on the drive to the hospital. She gives Katelyn pinch kisses while she watches it--its what they do here, you pinch someones cheeks the kiss your fingers) After watching it a couple time she calmed down and we were able to finish the procedure. She was a super trooper! She wiped her tears, grabbed my hand, and we both walked out of the room with smiles on our faces. I gave her boomer (aka gum) for being a champ. On the drive home, she slept the whole way. It was a wonderful day and so fun to spend it with my sweet little Sudha.
