Mike Griffiths, The Leprosy Mission's Country Co-ordinator in Myanmar wrote:
Myanmar (Burma) has seen more than its share of heartache recently, following the devastating cyclone in March 2008. The world’s media has focussed on the physical destruction and the numbers of lives lost, so it can be hard to remember that real people were involved, not just statistics.
Despite the many difficulties and obstacles, there remains a determination to live a life of dignity and hope. I am regularly amazed and inspired by the people I meet here, people who refuse to let leprosy, disability, poverty and stigma hold them back from the lives they deserve to have.
My name is Mike Griffiths and I work for The Leprosy Mission as the Country Co-ordinator for Myanmar. I would like to share with you the story of a patient at Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital in Mon State. Maung Maung is just 15 years old and was diagnosed with leprosy earlier this year.
‘I was referred to Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital by the government hospital, because I had a leprosy reaction. I was tested and started on multidrug therapy [the cure for leprosy] in March.
‘My family and village members were very afraid. Because of this, they do not allow me to use the well or stream water. I can only get water which is first drawn by my family, then given to me separately. The village head will only allow me back after the disease is completely cured.
‘I was brought to the hospital by my aunt, but because my mother loved me so much, she couldn’t bear to be away from me. She has now come to the hospital to stay with me. Now my reaction symptoms have improved, and my mother is pleased that I can be treated here in a place where she can stay. Now I am thinking of my future – and with the help of The Leprosy Mission’s community transformation project I plan to start my own business back in my home village.’
At The Leprosy Mission we know that emotional support and healing are just as vital to a patient’s recovery as getting the right medication. It means a lot to Maung Maung to have his mother with him during this difficult time. Staff at Mawlamyine knew this, so they made sure that she could stay with him. Maung Maung’s story gives you an idea of the work we’re doing here in Myanmar, healing not just bodies, but whole lives. Our community projects are reducing stigma and providing training, loans and employment for families affected by leprosy. Money goes a long way out here – even a small gift from you will mean the world to someone like Maung Maung. Please, could you consider giving something today?
You can read more about our work in Myanmar on pages 12-13 of New Day magazine. (Please contact us to get a copy 01733 370505 or visit our website) I hope that you will find it inspiring, and please join me in praying for this wonderful work.
Yours sincerely
Mike Griffiths
Country Co-ordinator, Myanmar
‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? ... I will not forget you!’ Isaiah 49:15 NIV
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