Bizly Rani is 47 years old. In 2012 she developed 30 spots all over her body and thought they were allergic. A health worker noticed her spots when she was accompanying her husband for TB treatment. She was found to have leprosy and started treatment immediately which lasted 12 months. Lepra organised a group of affected people group with 5 members called Shagarika. She has been finding new patients and communicating with other leprosy patients and helping them to get right treatment. She wants other people to avoid the suffering she experienced. She goes door to door finding people with leprosy symptoms. After completing the 1 year course of antibiotics all those spots disappeared and her sensation improved. But one finger of her hand has less sensation and is weak. She has lost sensation in one foot. She had an ulcer on her left toe which can be painful inside and she took extra medicine for 3 months. Now she does self care as the doctors instructed regularly and trains other patients. She has two pairs of special shoes and 2 pairs of sandals provided by Lepra which she uses for outside work. When doctor told her first she had her leprosy, she was afraid but he reassured her that it is a curable disease. Her neighbours did not know about leprosy that so they didn’t understand the disease she had. Her family knew it and they were at her side. The biggest challenge she faced is to connect suspected leprosy infected people with the health care. she has connected 65 patients herself. She is proud of her family, her husband supports her always, he does laundry from home, my elder daughter (28 years old) who completed post graduation and works in the NGO BRAC after her marriage. The next daughter is studying to graduation level and working for ICDDRB in a TB project. Her younger son is studying higher secondary level and has training for glass settings. She is very proud of them. The message she would like to give to everybody that, “its a completely curable disease and if a patient takes a single dose of medicine the spreading possibility will be stopped. So don’t push the leprosy patient away be close with them”.
08/04/2023 Bogura, Bangladesh
Photography by Tom Bradley, writing by Prof Diana Lockwood