Going for Treatment in India: Leena's Heartbreaking Daily Life Facing a Rare Disease

Since 2017, Pushpa Devi, known as Leena, has been living with elephantiasis, a rare disease that distorts her body. Her mother, Premila, shares the heart-wrenching daily life of a family that refuses to succumb to despair. Thanks to the OMCA Foundation, she and her daughter boarded a flight to India last Wednesday evening.

In Ripailles, in the district of Moka, a home has been marked for nine years by sighs, prayers, and silence. Here, 42-year-old Leena Dookee confronts elephantiasis, a rare disease that alters her appearance and disrupts her entire family. Her mother, 66-year-old Premila, is her pillar, her faithful shadow, her breath when she can no longer breathe.

Before 2017, Leena was an active woman. She was married to Yogesh, and they have two sons, Neil and Yasmeet. Before falling ill, she managed the household, cared for her children, laughed with them, and took them to school. "I was very active, even as a housewife. I took good care of my home...", she confides.

Then, everything changed overnight. First, Leena lost her father in October 2016, and as if misfortune never comes alone, she began to feel pain in her body while still grieving this loss. From that moment on, her daily life turned into a nightmare: foot pain, fever, vomiting... a series of health issues that relentlessly followed and exhausted her, both physically and mentally.

Her mother, Premila, devoted and always by her side, recounts with emotion: "A few weeks after her father's death, she had a high fever and vomiting. She said her foot hurt and she couldn't put it down."

Desperate and powerless in the face of her daughter's suffering, Premila took her to the North hospital, where she was admitted for a few days. She was given intravenous pain relief, providing a fragile, almost illusory respite.

This time, Premila took her to the clinic, but her daughter's condition worsened. "At one point, her feet began to develop blisters. When they burst, the smell was unbearable. Her skin turned black, hard as stone," she adds, her voice breaking. However, she never looks away. "She's my daughter, and I will never abandon her," she asserts.

Sitting on her bed, a cane beside her, Leena murmurs: "I can no longer walk fast; I move with a cane. When the pain becomes too intense, I prefer to sleep to forget. I am gaining so much weight that I can no longer fit into a vehicle." Her children occasionally come and sit next to her, trying, with their innocence, to reassure her: "Mom, everything will be okay."

"When Leena cries, I cry with her. I help her bathe, I feed her, I stay by her side when she cannot move," she says. The elderly mother never leaves her daughter's side, tirelessly supporting her through this ordeal. She is the one who flew with her to an hospital in India.

This mother, who refuses to give up on her daughter, contacted the OMCA Foundation. After completing the formalities, they flew to India last Wednesday evening. A few hours before departure, Leena told us she held onto hope. "I am going to India, but I am confident the operation will be successful. I want to heal and return for my children and family... but the cost is enormous."

Premila adds: "When the doctors talked about treatment in India, I felt a glimmer of hope, but it is expensive. So we are asking for help because I cannot watch my daughter suffer without doing anything."

Chronic lymphedema manifests as abnormal swelling in a part of the body, resulting from poor lymph circulation. This fluid plays an essential role: it helps the body eliminate waste.

This condition can be congenital or occur after cancer, surgery, radiation therapy, or a secondary infection. Without treatment, lymphedema can lead to repeated infections and progressive hardening of the skin.

In Leena's case, both feet and lower limbs have swollen abnormally, making movement difficult and painful. Fortunately, solutions exist to slow the progression of the disease: such as lymphatic drainage, compression bandaging, and specialized physiotherapy.

These methods can effectively control chronic lymphedema. However, regular management is essential. As Dr. Burton reminds us, this is a long-term battle that requires daily discipline and the follow-up of other complementary treatments.

Premila repeats: "I cannot abandon my daughter halfway." Today, this family from Ripailles is raising an alarm. A cry for help, a cry that hopes solidarity can turn pain into healing.