Last January, Kate Coffey brought Bowen Islanders together at the Gallery at Artisan Square to talk about her work at the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC)in Sangh, Nepal. Islanders contributed generously to the Centre, and sent Coffey off to Nepal with CAD$3,685 in donations.
Coffey contacted the Undercurrent with information about how that money is being spent. Below are stories from her blog, Bowen to Bangladesh, about two young patients at the SIRC.
Prabin’s story:
Prabin is a young 8-year-old boy, who was playing with friends in the garden, shining up trees as kids are wont to do. A fall from a tree mid July resulted in a T6 fracture (complete) to his spine, which has left him a paraplegic with little or no voluntary motor or conscious sensory function below the lower back area. His parents are daily wage workers which means little financial security for the family of four who live close to the border with India in the Rupandehi district.
Prabin arrived to SIRC mid August and was admitted immediately despite the family not having any resources to pay for his rehabilitation. This is the kind of thing SIRC does in such circumstances, they figure out payment later. Prabin arrived with no bladder or bowel sensation, unable to move his lower limbs and a nasty pressure sore, as well as a broken wrist.
Over the next four months, SIRC will provide him with the medical care he needs to clear up the pressure sore and manage his pain, as well as providing him with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psycho-social counselling, wheelchair skills etc, as well train his mother on how best to care for him over the coming years once they return home.
It’s fortunate Prabin’s home is located in the flatlands of the Terai, so there won’t be issues for him to navigate mountainous trails in his wheelchair. By the end of his stay at SIRC, it is expected Prabin will have the wheelchair skills he needs to get around his village, return to school and be as independent as possible in his future life. Godspeed.
Uma’s Story:
For those of you who have trekked in Nepal, you’ll be familiar with a place called Jiri – gateway to the Khumbu Valley that is home to Everest and other high mountains. If flights to Lukla are impossible, most climbers travel by jeep to Jiri and then begin the few weeks walk into Everest base camp. Uma is a young 13-year-old girl from Dolokha, in the same region as Jiri, and one of the worst affected districts as a result of last year’s earthquakes.
Uma was collecting fodder for the water buffalo the family own and fell out of the tree, causing a C5 and C6 fracture of the spine (compete). Believe it or not, falling out of trees whilst collecting fodder for cattle is one of the top reasons for SCIs in Nepal, followed closely by road traffic accidents.
This kind of injury will not be kind to Uma, as it will leave her paralyzed from the chest down, with weakened breathing and difficulty getting around in a manual wheelchair (power chairs are unheard of in Nepal). She will also struggle to feed and care for herself given her limited mobility in her hands and arms. There is a long road ahead for Uma.
As for Prabin, Uma’s parents are also daily wage workers with limited finances to feed and house this family of seven. Uma’s elder sister is currently with her at SIRC, caring for Uma’s non-medical needs, as well as learning how to be her long-term carer once they return home.
The aim over the coming months for Uma, is to make her as independent as possible by being able to feed herself without assistance, basic grooming and get her as mobile as possible in her wheelchair. All this can be achieved through the comprehensive rehabilitation and therapy that SIRC has to offer. Because Dolakha is located in a mountainous region, her ability to get around will be challenged, although the hope is for her to continue her education and return to school.
Both Prabin and Uma thank you – the community of Bowen Island for you generous donations which has allowed these young people to receive the rehabilitation and therapy they need, to regain their independence and live active and fruitful lives within their communities.
