Carlo Torriani

SWARGA DWAR

The conversion of a catholic missionary

presented by

Card. Simon Pimenta

PIME Publications, PIME Regional House, Eluru - 534 0-07, A.P., India

SOME CASES 

Letter No. 18, Bombay, April 1982

 Dear Friends,

    Yesterday evening the parish priest of Victoria Church, Mahim, phoned to Lok Seva Sangam because a leprosy patient, who had been begging and living in front of the church since long, now he could not get up. Two weeks ago we have organised in that parish an anti-leprosy day and I preached during all the Masses. The people remembered our name and our telephone number. Today with our ambulance we went there, we picked up the man and we went around the three leprosy hospitals of Bombay without finding a place for him. At the end we cleaned him, we dressed his wound and we brought him back on the same footpath. Unfortunately in Bombay does not existed yet and hospice where to give a shelter to this kind of people. We got convinced once more to hurry up our search for a piece of land where to start such a hospice.

    Again yesterday a police officer came to our dispensary from a village 40 km out of Bombay to get treatment. He new he was having leprosy and he had already started treatment. Why he came to us from so far away? May by the fear to be recognised by the colleagues and to loose a god job; may be the hope to find a better treatment or to find a surgeon who is able to reactivate his fingers. It was really moving to see the wife how concerned she was asking all kind of questions, showing all the medicines they got from the previous consultant. She told they have four children. She was a good example of a courageous woman who did overcome the irrational fear that very often accompany leprosy.

    Completely different the story of Alima. Two years ago, during a survey, our paramedical noticed a small patch on the forearm. She was invited to come to our dispensary. She couldn’t believe that such a small not painful patch was the beginning of leprosy. Pride and fear closed her eyes. Our paramedical kept going to her house. Now she came to the dispensary but sensation had already disappeared from both hands and deformity ma appear very soon. She was crying. We told her that the disease can always be stopped, but she must be very careful using her hands.

    This is an example how lacking of health education and fear are the major obstacles in the fight against leprosy. We will never repeat enough these truths that for us had become slogans: Leprosy is always curable. We should never isolate the patients. But prejudices are hard to die.

    The case of the patient of Victoria Church has hurt me very deeply. I went there to say that we cure leprosy, we take care of leprosy patients, it should be the concern of every Christian, and then we could not do anything for that poor man. We must find a place where to take care of such cases. We have seen a few plots of land, we hope to conclude very soon.

    May the good Lord assist us.