Our Journey

Whatever will happen, will happen

Dr KS Prasanna, Dermatologist, Institute of Applied Dermatology, Kasaragod, Kerala

One Friday in December 1998, Dr N, a dermatologist was in the process of inviting the people in and around Kasaragod for our house warming. That day, he went to one of our neighbour’s house.  As he was speaking with them, the grandmother of a newborn girl rushed out, completely distressed. She was holding the baby in her arms. The new born was blind. Both the mother and grandmother wept, requesting the doctor to render any aid to the completely blind infant.

 Dr N was distraught to see the blind baby. The image of the baby, born into the world without its light, haunted him, and he slaved for a solution. He learnt extensively about corneal transplantation. The parents of the child are daily wage workers, and so financing the transplant would be a huge issue.

The process of transplantation was arduous. The doctors would transplant only one eye. They had to go to LV Prasad Eye Hospital in Hyderabad, get examined by the experts, and get the transplant within 24 hours of finding the cornea of a year old baby. This tedious process demanded them to stay in an expensive city.

 Dr N did much homework and finally succeeded in getting a flat of his friend’s, which was close to L V PRASAD Eye hospital, Hyderabad. The parents would go to the hospital, wait there for the cornea of a one-year-old child and return. This process went on every day, staying in the same flat without rent. A few of Dr N’s friends took care of the other expenses in Hyderabad, which indeed boosted the family’s morale. Three months later, the transplant was scheduled, and the cornea came from an infant who died in an accident.

This was in the year 1999 when corneal transplantation was unheard of in most of the places of India. The blind child underwent the transplant. After the surgery, they had visited the experts regularly for the next two months, staying in the same flat. Slowly, the baby started to see through the right eye. They came back home, and all further corrections and minor surgeries were performed locally. By the time she played liked any other children, she has grown up.

Last week on 9th of July, 2020 the girl came along with her mother, announcing that she was going to get engaged, and asked for Dr N’s blessings “You helped me in my childhood that improved my life. I am what I am because of you, and I  don`t forget this in my entire life. We find God in you, bless me”.She is a mature girl, and she knows what she speaks. These words came from her heart.

 Dr N did his best to help the blind girl, and when God willed it so, worked through him. Will god let this doctor down during this Corona pandemic, by pushing him to the corner forcing him to close IAD, his dream child? He built that organization 20 years ago alone, overcoming all obstacles in his path. He helped thousands of Lymphedema patients without any remuneration. Criticism, comments, threat, allegations, ill health, money, family issues and failures never stopped him doing this God’s work. The above story of a blind child is an example of it. Helping a person in need is our duty. Whatever happens, is because it has to happen.