25-year old Kalika Mainali is from Sundrabati Village Development Committee of Dolakha District, eastern Nepal. She has a family of eight, consisting of herself, her five younger sisters and her parents. They have a farm in Sundrawati, Ward no. 4 of Dolakha District
At the age of seven, Kalika suffered from pneumonia and for 20 years she was on Penidura. Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with valvular heart disease. On top of that, she also has a history of fever, joint pain with inability to walk, diminished vision and hypertension. At the age of 25, suffering from so many diseases and with responsibilities on the other hand, she developed mood instability. Her appetite drastically decreased. Her weight was plummeted to 40 kg. She frequently complained about palpitation and dizziness as well.
I met Kalika at Charikot, desperately seeking support to save her life. She told me that if she did not have surgery immediately, she was going to die. I was shocked; I could not sleep. I sent emails to my friends and immediately received a positive response from KAM for SUD (a Switzerland-based organization). I asked Kalika to come to Kathmandu immediately and have a thorough check-up. I visited Ganga Lal Heart Treatment Hospital and found that the surgery cost almost Rs. 500,000.00. I discussed it with Dr. Ramesh and finally he agreed that as soon as we deposited Rs. 140,000.00, they would start the surgery. Because her blood circulation was abnormal, she had to be admitted to the hospital immediately. She was admitted to the hospital and the money deposited in the hospital the day she arrived in Kathmandu. I updated Kalika about the situation. Rs. 140,000.00 was not enough. She needed more money to support her caretaker's food and other necessary materials. I managed to raise Rs. 9,000.00 from the staff members of my office (District Roads Support Programme).
Kalika was very happy when I gave her the things that I had received from KAM for SUD. Her eyes filled with tears and she was so choked up with emotion that she could not speak for a while.
Although her weakness still persists, Kalika is much better now. For this, she is grateful to all those who helped her. Her new functional valve has given her a new lease on life and enabled her to lead a normal life. She needs regular and continuous treatment. She is becoming more and more of a handicap every second as she cannot muster even Rs. 1,000.00 per month for further treatment. Up till now, we have been providing Rs. 1,000.00 whenever she has asked for it.
Now, she has fully recovered from her surgery. She is looking for work to support herself and to pay for her treatment. Although she cannot do laborious work, she can do work such as cleaning, record-keeping or reception work. If any organization needs a cleaner-cum-office assistant, please consider hiring Kalika as she needs financial support to survive
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