Decades have passed by, but even to this day, people suffering from chronic diseases are still ostracised from our society. And among such chronic diseases, it’s leprosy patients who suffer the most. Mother Theresa spent her entire life trying to help the leprosy patients by picking them up from the streets and taking them under shelter, giving them the care and attention that they need. While some were cured by her kindness, some had a peaceful death in her abode. And when we, as Indians thought that we had become caring towards the needy, every now and then incidents surface all over the country speaking of the discrimination that leprosy patients face in their lives.
This is why we thought it would be a great idea to introduce to you all Dr. Renuka Ramakrishna who has been providing relief to thousands of leprosy patients in Tamil Nadu for 28 years. Let’s read the story of this Wonder Woman together.
Renuka Always Dreamt Of Becoming A Doctor
Renuka says that it was her father who served in the Indian Army who inspired her to become a doctor right from when she was a child. She says that he always preached to people around him that “service to man, is service to God.” Her father was the one who nurtured and caressed this dream of hers. Looking back at her childhood, Renuka says about how she used to play the role of a doctor in all the pretend play games she used to play with her friends. She used to go around giving fake injections to everyone.
The Incident That Changed Her Life
Renuka hails from a small village called Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. She came from a family where everybody served the armed forces, therefore, since childhood, she’d always seen and believed that to help one in need is the most right thing to do.
When she was just 16 years old, Renuka experienced an incident that carved her path towards what she wanted to become in the future. Narrating the incident, she says, “It was during the Mahamaham time, which occurs once in 12 years: people from all over gather in Kumbakonam for the holy dip in the temple tank. I was walking back and saw that a crowd had gathered. When I peered in to see what it was all about, I saw a body lying completely naked.”
She was shocked initially but later looked around to see if she could get help from the people around her. All that the people around her spoke of was about how the sanctity of the place had been disturbed because of the dead man lying there. In the end, Renuka used her dupatta to cover the private parts of the man’s body. She recalls how no one helped her to even move the body. She managed to catch an auto and took the body to the nearest crematorium. She had never seen a dead body until then, forget about having touched one. She says that it was very terrifying and she had to do it because no one else would.
After returning home that night, when she described the whole day’s incident to her dad, her father asked her to keep mum about the incident because if others knew about it, they’d probably disown her. But he told her and encouraged her that she needs to dedicate her life towards leprosy patients. Her desire to study medicine and become a doctor became stronger that day. She worked hard and got a merit seat at the JIPMER College, Puducherry.
After completing her course, she joined St John’s Hospital and Leprosy Centre. She was under the dermatology department but spent a considerable amount of time in the emergency wing which not only gave her more experience.
When she got married, she moved to Chennai and started working there with leprosy patients. She says that she had made it clear to the husband that she’ll only work with leprosy patients.
What Exactly Is Leprosy?
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Another name for this disease is Hansen’s disease. It significantly affects the peripheral nerves, the skin, the eyes, and the mucosal layers of the upper portion of the respiratory tract. It can occur to a human in any age group. And it’s also curable, and treating it at an early stage will avert physical disabilities.
It’s also important to understand that it’s infectious only when exposed for a prolonged time, it starts to spread through skin, and begins to damage the nerves of feet and hands and make them dead towards any form of sensation.
Only those with a weak immune system contract leprosy. And it’s mostly the poor who fall prey to this disease as they are malnourished.
Renuka’s Wish
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Renuka says that most people have an unfounded fear that touching leprosy patients will expose them to developing it. However, she considers herself as a living example to prove otherwise.
Renuka says that, “My dream is to build a home where people from all walks of life can stay. If I manage to do that, I will truly feel like I have contributed to this life significantly.”
We can only seek inspiration from Renuka and hope that more people like Renuka are born who will help society. Isn’t her story inspiring people?
The post This Chennai Doctor Has Helped Lakhs Of Leprosy Patients appeared first on STYLECRAZE.