We made our way to the Chetti Punniyam Leprosy Colony. On our way, we picked up Doctor Kumar and two of his nurses. When we pulled up to the colony, we were greeted by two small children. They were absolutely beautiful and were so excited to see us. As we exited the bus I saw a little girl sitting on the porch where the medical team usually sets up. She only spoke Tamil so it was hard to understand what she needed. I knew what was wrong the minute she turned her head. This little girl had been waiting all morning for the doctor and as she turned to the side I saw her small left ear which was mangled and covered in scabs. She had a severe ear infection. Although the doctor took the time to care for it, he quickly shuffled her along. We all knew that today we'd see much worse.
One by one, people from the colony made their way up to the small house at the beginning of the street. They all filed in and stood in line. It was like a well oiled machine and you could tell they had all done this before. I watched as one after another, men and women gathered every ounce of strength they could to go inside, grab their folder, and sit in the first available chair. Once someone sat down, it was my turn to take over. With gloves, soap, and fairly clean water, I carefully removed the bandages from their mangled feet, or what was left of them. Most of these people were cured of leprosy, but they were still suffering from the effects of old wounds. You could tell which patients took care of themselves. Very few people had any toes or fingers left at all. As I sat there washing one after another, I winced at the thought of all the pain they must be in. I was constantly being reassured that they had lost all feeling in their extremities but I wasn't really convinced. I tried so hard to be gentle.
Although I was heartbroken for all of these people, I thought I was handling things pretty well and I loved talking to all of the cheerful villagers. Despite their circumstances, they smiled as best they could and thanked and hugged us goodbye. Among these amazing people, was a man named Elias. The second his foot hit the porch, so did his smile. The whole time we washed, treated, and bandaged him, he sang songs and played with his little granddaughter. The resiliency of everybody in the leprosy colony really made me think about what my priorities are in life. If they can find something to smile about then there is no excuse for me to ever think that I can't.
As uplifting and incredible as today was, there is no way I could deny that today was painful at times. It is bold to say, but one of the women that I met at Chetti Punniyam has changed me forever. It was mid afternoon and the rush of patients had slowly tapered off. A small, thin woman made her way up the steps on all fours. Her feet resembled a clenched fist and bandages covered her open sores. I have never seen someone with so much pain in their face. She lacked toes and fingers, bandages trailed all the way up to her right thigh, and her arms were covered in scars from past wounds. The woman's hair was tangled up in a faded orange scrunchie at the top of her head. Small wrinkles outlined the crooked smile she barely mustered as she sat down in front of me.
"Unga para na?", I asked her right away. "What is your name?" is the only phrase I can seem to pick up on in tamil. She opened her mouth, but was unable to make a sound accompany the breath that was released. The other nurse found her file and I carefully put her feet into the water basin. She sat hunched over and couldn't help but moan while I began washing. My mom stood at her side, letting her lean on her for comfort. Just as I pulled the woman's feet out of the water, I looked up. I finally know what all of the past volunteers meant by having "India eyes". As I looked up I saw the pain of her disease all over her face. The wrinkles, uneven teeth, and damaged skin were all there. However; as I looked a second longer I saw her eyes; these deep brown beautiful eyes. There was so much about her that would make people turn away, but I was pulled in by this one amazing feature of hers. India eyes are eyes that see past all of the trash on the streets, the mangled extremities, the rusted buses, and the bugs. I saw a beautiful woman that is leprosy-afflicted. As we helped her up I looked at my mom and saw tears in her eyes, while one trickled down my cheek. I have never felt closer to my Savior and I'm so grateful to have the knowledge that these people will be made whole someday. They will be free from all of this hurt and pain. I will never forget today. I will never forget this colony.
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