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Walking to School on Her Own
By Joseph Suess
Growing up in the slums of Mumbai (Bombay) offered little
opportunity for little Angura. While Mumbai boasts as being the main industrial
and financial center of India, it also has the dubious distinction that
half of its population lives in slums or near slums.
As further odds against ever having a chance at life, Angura had developed
polio at age 2, and now at age 7 was severely deformed. She suffered from
post-polio-paralysis in both legs, her knee joints being particularly
affected. She was not able to walk, and could only stand up with support.
Angura’s life was destined to change the day that PCR volunteers
of Polio Child Relief Mumbai (PCRM) visited her area of town to locate
children in need of correctional surgery. Her relatives learned that Polio
Child Relief organizes medical camps providing free polio operations for
handicapped children in their area.
Angura's deformity was said to be difficult to correct. In fact prior
to this, no surgeon or hospital had even suggested correctional surgery.
Polio specialist Dr. Paresh M. Desai, who heads the PCRM medical department,
scheduled an analysis for Angura and approved a 4-step surgery.
After the completion of a lengthy series of correctional surgeries, Angura
received an independent caliper for each leg with shoes attached. It was
a joyful day when the calipers were fitted on and crutches adjusted. Off
she went, walking away, for the first time in her life. She was laughing
and crying at the same time!
Angura has returned now to her village with her family, where for the
first time she can walk to school all by herself.
Polio Child Relief provides effective yet inexpensive corrective surgery
for crippled children whose families would be otherwise unable to afford
it.(Note: A standard operation can be performed for $100 per child, while
the more difficult limb-lengthening
surgery is US $210.)If you would like to change a child’s life
forever, click
here.
Joseph Suess is the Project Manager of Polio
Child Relief, a FCF Project in Mumbai (Bombay), India
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