Have you met Asa?

A Dream to Carry On

Asa’s story doesn’t begin or end with her. It spans back decades, with the struggle her parents faced, most of them due to Leprosy.  As we flip through the pages of her story we arrive at a time when Asa’s father was just a child.

Asa’s father was first diagnosed by leprosy when he was just eleven years old. Ostracized for his disease, Asa’s father was not able to consult doctors and access the treatment and medication he needed. Over the years, he developed clawed hands and after hearing about Ananadaban, he knew he had to seek treatment there. Having heard about Anandaban he believed his problems would be dealt with compassion and respect.

Present Day

It has been nearly two decades since Asa’s father first walked into Anandaban. During the course of medication, he met his wife, a fellow leprosy patient. This marked the beginning of the life he had always dreamt of, a family of his own who loved and cared for him regardless of anything else.  In the years that followed, Asa was born. By the time Asa learned to take her first steps, the pair had settled into a care home in the outskirts of Kathmandu.

However, the vitality of youth meant nothing to Asa’s parents as Leprosy rendered them unable to work. Both had developed clawed hands and had lost some of their fingers. A growing daughter to take care of and a family to feed, worry and stress were a constant companion for Asa’s parents. Asa’s father would work jobs he was able to in the care home but his earnings didn’t hold a candle to the expenses that lay ahead of him.

Despite her parents’ struggles, Asa’s father ensured she grew up in a comfortable environment. She was loved, taken care of, educated, and well looked after. What little her parents’ earned was spent on her well-being. Asa seemed like a chance for her parents to bear witness to a life that Leprosy had stolen from them. And yet, a growing Asa was a reminder of the task they lay ahead of them.

Early Struggles

During her early years of school, Asa would wonder why her parents couldn’t attend annual functions or come to the school as often as he friends’ parents. To her, Leprosy was nothing more than a disease and never a reason why her parents had to worry. This realization later led Asa to develop a curiosity and likening to help people, take care of the disadvantaged and ultimately a desire to help others like her parents. However, her dream of a white coat and walking through the gates of a nursing school wasn’t exactly easy for Asa.

The importance of education was never lost on Asa’s parents. Even though they never got the chance to study, they wanted their daughter to receive higher education. Right from Asa’s childhood, her parents invested every penny into education. During her early years, Asa’s education was supported by TLM Nepal’s TLM Australia supported Education Project. But when Asa chose to pursue Nursing, they were at their wits end. Asa graduating from her intermediate levels meant that she was no longer able to access help from this project. On the other hand, nursing degree wouldn’t come cheap, and an annual income that was barely enough to make ends meet would never suffice. Yet, they gave Asa hope. They wanted her to pursue preparation classes for Nursing and appear in the entrance exams.

Around the same time, TLMN in collaboration with TLMA introduced the Tertiary Education Project. The project would cater to 12 students, either leprosy affected or dependents of Leprosy affected and support them through their undergraduate studies. Asa was one of the first students to be interviewed for the project. And after a teary afternoon meeting between Asa’s parents and representatives of TLMN and TLMA, Asa was selected. 

Aspiring Nurse

Today, Asa is a freshmen in a nursing school and slowly edging towards fulfilling her and her parent’s dream. She enjoys working in the community as much as she enjoys her studies and going on rounds. She is hopeful that she will get the chance to pay forward the support extended by The Leprosy Mission.

“I hadn’t thought of studying anything other than Nursing. However, my own family wouldn’t have been able to enroll me into nursing school. I am grateful for your help and support.”

Asa’s story doesn’t end here. It will continue stretching decades through the lives she touches, the people she cares for, and more importantly, through her parents. The impact of this education will hopefully transform their lives holistically; through physical, economic and social transformation, sustainably. Asa’s parents carried this dream for so long and they are now one step closer to realizing it through their daughter and TLM is happy to be a part of this dream.