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News   |   Memoirs
Recollection of Hemlal by dr Helena Pyz
I saw this sixty-year-old man for the first time on the last Wednesday of November (27.11.02). He was completely destroyed by leprosy. His friends brought him to us from the same colony for lepers, in Durg. I know from their stories (sometimes they invent something, they add imagined information, paint the problems in dark colours to convince me to admit him...) that he was living alone, begging like others, eating almost nothing and was scarcely cooking for himself. Sometimes neighbours were giving him some hot meal. Sometimes he liked to drink. And so he existed in this way. Such is the life of a crippled leper in central India, living in a slum area, on the outskirts of a big town. As people say, his neighbours knew that he was ill only one week earlier and that he needed doctor’s help. I had no difficulty to decide whether to accept Hemlal to our Centre or not. When he turned aside his dirty blanket with which he was all covered, together with his head, I was almost shocked by the stench going out from him. I only managed to notice on the retina of my eyes a big, gaping, leaking wound instead of the right part of his face. Around the wound, there were a swelling, a red mark, and dark stains of dead tissues. As far as I remember, it was the first time in all my practice here that I have behaved in this way. For some minutes I was not at all able to stand erected. I had to go to another room in order to recover from the first impression. The stench has pervaded my nostrils and was all over the room. The idea that in a moment I had to look after him, bandage him, dress his wounds was hard to accept. I asked my helpers to clean him a bit, but I was realising that this was my duty. Irrevocably the duty belonged to me. I could not commission Hemlal to anyone. Happily, I have intelligent and good helpers: besides the basic equipment, the gloves and an apron, they also took some bonnets and surgical masks. The latter had met the task: the stink was less penetrating into my nose and neither the ill man nor anyone else could see my face, my reaction to what I was seeing and what I was touching. I think that this view was comparable to the one in previous times. It was probably in this way that looked and were dying for lepers of all nations in the era before antibiotics; lepers who were under the care of blessed Father Damian on the Malokai Island, our blessed Father Jan Beyzym in Madagascar and all others during thousands of years. But today? As far as this? In the middle of a civilised country?
The first idea that came to my mind immediately after looking into the wound more closely: if the maggots which were eating the tissues from inside get into the brain, the sick person will certainly die. It was really very close and could so easily happen through the nose, which he almost did not have. During the first week I was dressing his wounds two times a day. After two, three days, I managed to remove all the worms’ nests, the dead tissues and a lot of pus. At the same time, Hemlal was receiving great doses of antibiotics as well as other drugs. He was lying on a clean bed. He was being washed. He was given food... He was beginning to recover.
The Advent was beginning on next Sunday. We usually pray for each other in this special time and draw names on this purpose. I demanded Hemlal’s name to be written down also, although I knew that it would be me who will pray on his behalf for someone. He already had his part in the suffering when preparing to the celebration of Jesus birth. He really needed prayers and support. How I was surprised and moved when my 4,5 year-old Patricia brought me the paper so as to read her the name of the person for which she was to pray - it was HEMLAL’s name! I knew, I had this certainty: if he were to live, it would be only due to this Toddler’s prayer. Last year already, I was teaching her how to remember the person who was entrusted to her: we were going together for a short private prayer to the shrine, she herself was reminding me of this and she was asking me to go with her everyday. This time similarly. In Hindi, the answer to Virgin Mary summons (pray for us) in the litany sounds as follows: ‘hamare liye prarthna kar’. Nevertheless, Patricia changed it and was consequently repeating: ‘Hemlal ke liye prarthna kar’. Of course, I had to tell her who he is - as she did not know his name - that he is very ill. Once, we went to see him. Then, the swelling disappeared and he could see by his own eyes. The disease story, as well as the recovering, life and death stories is always God mysteries. Hemlal was recovering in an astonishing motion. For Christmas time, he was in his usual condition before the disease. Obviously, the wound could not have been healed completely. Under the skin lobe of the cheek and the rest of the nose there was still a hole, which could not be filled, nevertheless it was clean and almost dry. The patient was breathing and eating normally. He was seeing and moving by himself. I was hoping that the wound will cover by itself with a delicate membrane and in this state Hemlal will live his days. Immediately after the New Year he was coping quite well with everything and he even asked the permission to go home. I agreed, as I did not see any obstacles to it. In fact I did not pay attention, yet I had to take a photograph as he looked after the treatment. The photo would have been for Patricia, as it was her own, prayed OLD MAN.
Three weeks later I was informed that Hemlal had arrived to our Centre. I thought that this time I would take the photo... But he was again in a very bad state. The familiar stench was getting out from him. I was completely crushed. He was too weak and ill so as to ask him how all this had happened. Was he sleeping on the floor? Did he not have a decent bedding at home? How could maggots once again find a nest in his body? Were all the flies waiting for him in Durg so as to attack him after his return? I had the hope that we will succeed in bringing the situation under control skilfully. I promised myself that I would not release him before checking his living conditions at home and certainly not before the cold season. But this time antibiotics were acting more slowly. Hemlal was very weak. The day before my departure to Bombay (5.2.03) for a medical conference, I was still seeing him on his foot. However, suddenly, in the night, neurological symptoms appeared together with excitation. He lost conscience. My worst presumption of more than two months before came true: the worms got inside the brain. The agony lasted a few hours. There was no rescue. I asked the priest to give Hemlal a conditional Baptism. He received Peter as his new name. I was praying with Patricia and my helpers. It was the only help that we still could give him. Hemlal went to God before I left for Bombay. I could not participate personally in the funeral. Nevertheless, Patricia told me everything. And now, from time to time, she is recalling ‘hers own’ old man, Hemlal. The prayer of the innocent child has withheld this death for two months: Hemlal has lived the joy of Lord’s birth; he has lived his own new birth in Christ through the waters of the Baptism. This is the Great God’s Mystery that I was given to touch with my own hands that I could see with my own eyes and with which my heart is strengthened and enriched. That is why I share with you, Dear Friends, this experience. Every one of us has this share, through prayers, in all God’s works. I would like to thank you for all this, on the behalf of the persons whom I serve. I thank you from whole my heart.
Jeevodaya, 2003

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