The Leprosy Mission world
Case Study: China
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Standfirst
Cai Ping tells his story...
‘In 1979 I came to Hepu leprosy village. Compared with other villagers, I was lucky because my family came to see me at times.’ Many families reject members who have leprosy due to the stigma that surrounds the disease.
‘In 1995 I was busy running around doing some farming. Somehow I hurt my foot accidentally. Because of nerve damage due to leprosy, I could not feel pain. Unfortunately the wound developed into a bad ulcer. I did not know what to do. I had no idea what self-care (looking after insensitive hands and feet) was. I avoided people and even stopped my family from visiting me with many excuses. Several years passed and the ulcer got worse. At one point a local doctor told me that my ulcer was cureless and that if it developed like this, I would have to have my foot amputated. I felt hopeless about the rest of my life. I often complained hatefully, asking why life had treated me so unfairly. I lost confidence and drifted along day by day.
In 2003, HANDA (a rehabilitation and welfare association in China supported by TLM) came to our village to teach people about caring for their insensitive hands and feet, to protect and prevent wounds. I persisted in the self-care the way the doctor taught me. The ulcer became smaller and, after one year, my ulcer was completely healed. So far my ulcer has never recurred because I have developed the habit of doing self-care. I am aware that without the support of HANDA, my life would never have been so meaningful.
In 2005, encouraged by HANDA and other villagers, I became a health care worker in Beihai village. I used my own experience as an example to encourage villagers to join in the self-care campaign. For those who had difficulty doing self-care with their own hands, because of disability, I did the wound care for them. I want to let more people be aware of the importance of self-care. I will keep doing this job; spreading what I learn and what I believe to more people.‘
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