During a community visit, health workers met Toraj who explained that he had a loss of sensation on his foot and had developed an ulcer and discoloured patches of skin on his legs. Walking was painful and his symptoms were affecting his ability to work.
“When people learnt I had leprosy, people abandoned me and my family."
Toraj began a 12-month course of multidrug therapy (MDT) and learnt self-care techniques to keep his injury clean and avoid infection. With continued practice, his ulcer successfully healed.
“Staff taught me to clean my ulcer. I regularly practice self-care at home and my wife supports me. Now I can earn a living.
Self-care is the magic of living well with a disability.”
Toraj now encourages others to welcome health visitors to their homes to check for any symptoms.