Celebrating Life

Krishna gets a second chance

File-2As our vehicle comes to a halt, a young girl came running to greet with a broad smile. This is Krishna, our sponsored child. Her face is not hidden under a scarf, as it was with her most times. Her mother lays out a charpai outside the one room family house.

“I’m hearing her talk for the first time after all these years,” says Jeyakumar, a World Vision India staff at Bundi.

Krishna’s mother is a housewife and her stepfather works as a daily wager at stone quarries around the village, chiselling and loading stones on trucks. Krishna lives with her parents and an elder sister Seema, aged 14, in a village, around 45 km from Bundi.  

File-3Seven years ago, when Krishna was 3, she had accompanied with her stepfather to work. At play, she fell and hit her jaw on the ground. Krishna’s mother noticed a small swelling on the mandible but didn’t take it seriously as she had not complained of pain then. But over the years the swelling grew, steadily.

Krishna was diagnosed with Cherubism (aggressive) Mandible, a disorder marked by abnormal bone tissue in the lower jaw. The bone is replaced with painless cyst-like growths. Her mandible swelled and she had large expansible lesion. Her tongue withdrew inside her throat. Her nose was blocked and she had problem breathing. It was painful for her mother to see her turning and twisting in bed, mouth open, struggling to breathe. She couldn’t chew or drink water. And her bleeding nose often kept her awake even at night.

The structure of her face changed and it was unpleasant to look upon. As her face swelled, her confidence wilted. She became a recluse, her voice withdrawn. She began hiding behind scarfs. Her house became her prison, deprived of a normal childhood such as play and education.

File-5At the charpai, Krishna paints cartoon characters. She has always loved painting. That was one thing she could do at home. Her two friends come over and sit with her at the charpai.

The school she once loved began to haunt her after the illness. Her schoolmates made fun of her looks. There were parents who thought the tumour was contagious and didn’t want it transmitted on their children. They lodged formal complaint against Krishna attending school. The school asked her parents to take her off from school until she was healed. She had to quit school, just a couple of weeks into it.

“Parents wouldn’t let their children play with Krishna. Sometimes her schoolmates threw stones at her,” said Krishna’s mother. “I made her quit school for her own good. Since then I had to be at home to look after her. I couldn’t let her be alone by herself even for a while.”

The family faced rejections just because of Krishna’s looks. “My friends and some villagers told me not to bring my sister along when I go out to shop or fetch. It hurts. They didn’t want to look at her,” said Seema, her soft spoken sister.

In the last few months before the surgery, the cyst-like growth had become enormous. “The doctor recommended us to go for surgery or risk losing her,” said Deepak, a World Vision India staff, who had been with Krishna’s family during all her treatments. For the initial couple of years she was treated at Kota but in 2015 they made the first trip to Delhi. “The doctors told me plainly that Krishna required surgery to live on,” said Deepak.

It was clear then that surgery was not an option, but a necessity. World Vision India assisted her with the surgery expenses, that amounted to around 4 lakh rupees.

“We don’t even have enough money for rotis. How could we afford for the treatment? World Vision India took her for the first check-up and ever since have taken care of the expenses,” said Krishna’s stepfather Ramlal.

File-41Krishna can now do whatever she wants. She sits on her lap when she is not playing with her friends. They have formed a special bond over the years. It was them against the world. Krishna whispers into her mother’s ear. Her mother smiles and says, “She has been telling me that she wants to attend school.” Krishna has kept all her dreams alive.

Krishna’s mother can’t thank enough for saving her daughter’s life. “We looked for help everywhere. We asked a lot of people to lend us money for the surgery. But none were willing to help. She would have died if it was not for the help,” she said, folding her hands together in front of her face, in gratitude.

File-41Seema, was the only one in the family who stayed home while the rest of the family left for Delhi. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her sister after a week. “She looks good now.”

The house was silent once. There was no voice of children, no visitors. It has now come alive with Krishna’s return. She accompanies her mother to the village well, goes to the bazaar with her sister, plays anywhere and everywhere with her friends. This is her second chance to life.

 

 

 

 

14 thoughts on “Krishna gets a second chance

  1. Nigel

    This is such a touching story. World Vision is doing such a fantastic job with these kids all over the country. Really proud to be a part of the World Vision family.

  2. Abid

    Absolutely brilliant work done by World Vision and congratulations to Krishna and her entire family for being brave and believing…God bless them and all those who are associated with World Vision

    1. Gopal Singh

      Sorry to hear about this, vision India has done a very great work, congratulations to Krishna and her family, God bless them

  3. Dimpy

    World vision is doing a great job!! Congratulations !! Praying for your growth manifold and keeping up such a noble service. Thanks for giving me a chance to be associated with sych a wonderful World vision family.

  4. lily anne abraham

    Great service ! God bless your service organisation ”world vision” for the help rendered to release Krishna of a miserable life , and put a smile on her face and hope for tomorrow

  5. Girija Naveen

    My husband and I, really and truly appreciate and value the noble initiative taken by World Vision, in helping children in need. An honour to be associated with an organisation like World Vision.

  6. Saraswathi Menon

    Thank God!!!! The little Krishna could survive and will have a great life in her smiling face. May God Bless this young girl with good Health, good Educatin and all. My Hats odd to World Vision for this Wonderful help and all my Good Wishes for this gret Organization!!!!!

  7. S. Jeyakumar

    Friends we as a team from Bundi ADP World Vision India been part of the Journey with Krishna. I was there during the day of her Surgery along with our team members. She is much special to us. The day of her discharge from hospital again I was there and seen her 1st ever smile and much more as she was demanding toys. 1st time I ever seen her demanding toys speaking and eating by herself. I am personally Blessed to be part of Krishna Journey. As I read Krishna story only tears come out because she is one among the many children with whom we work with.

    I am working with World Vision India for last 21 years seen much changes especially children and youth and how their life been shaped up with lot of interventions of World Vision India programs.

    And again I am ex sponsor child of World Vision India and been supported by the great organization from my childhood to my degree course. World Vision India invested in my life with not only the support extended for my studies for all those years but with lot of moral values, stories, growth, visioning for better future. Today I am sponsoring two children with in the Organization.

    I plea all those read her story and my story to be part of many children today need love care and so much.

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