Raj is a 14 years old boy , who lived in a very remote and hilly area in the Midwestern Rolpa region of Nepal. He is the youngest of seven children: he has five sisters and one brother. Due to a birth defect in his spinal column, he is paralyzed from the waist down. That is why he never noticed some severe infections in his legs. When he was found by the ambulatory team of the children’s hospital HRDC, his condition was very bad. The doctors had no other choice than to amputate both his legs till just under the knee.
After the surgical procedure, it was impossible for Raj to go back to his village in the mountains. From the last point you can reach with mobile transport, it is a three day walk. Furthermore, it is a very undeveloped area and if any critical medical complications would occur, there would not be enough time to get to a hospital. That is why we offered Raj the possibility to live in our center. He changed from a very shy and almost depressed boy into a cheerful and self-assured teenager.
He is very handy with his wheelchair and is learning how to use a prosthesis and walking rack to move around. His relatives come over to Kathmandu on a regular basis to maintain the family link. Raj is a very eager student and already shows enough independency to survive on his own in the city in a few years. His dream however, is to be able to live with his parents and siblings again, back in his home village.
Back to Stories Nepal