Balwant looked at the well near his house. He wondered if he could do it, if he could jump in and end his life. Would it be quick? Would it be painless? He had already experienced more pain than he wanted to endure. Death would be a welcome end to this marred life of illness and rejection he was now living. He didn’t know what else he could do.
The Stigma of Having Leprosy
Balwant was an educated man who worked as a tutor, helping the children in his village with their studies. He had a wife, three daughters and son. When he was in his 30s, he noticed white patches on his leg. They itched and then became numb. It turned out to be leprosy, a chronic skin disease that can cause serious nerve damage and leave a person disfigured if left untreated.
Even though the disease is curable with a multidrug treatment, the stigma that comes along with it is not.
When the people in Balwant’s village found out he had leprosy, they started avoiding him. Balwant was one of tens of thousands of people in South Asia suffering from leprosy and the humiliation and ostracism that comes along with it. For centuries, leprosy patients have been barred from accessing common wells or participating in festivals, because people believe their presence increases the risk of contagion. They’re often rejected, even by family members who fear they, too, will “catch” the disease or have to endure social rejection because of them.
There are some people who even think leprosy is a punishment from the gods for past sins, so they avoid those affected because they do not want to incur the wrath of the gods.
Balwant and his family ended up moving from the village.
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