Tej Bahadur (2015)

Tej Bahadur is a 20 year old boy living in Rolpa, Nepal. He was born in a family of six, son to low-income farmers. Agriculture is the only source of income in the family.

During the earthquake in Nepal on April 25th 2015, two of this family members were killed when their house collapsed. Tej survived the earthquake, but both his legs got crushed when the tin roof of the house fell on his legs. He suffered two comminuted fractures but his parents could not take him to a hospital, because they did not have financial means to pay for the treatment. Tej received first aids for the open wounds on his legs, but the family was incapable of providing him any further care.

After a number of weeks the infections on his legs had not healed yet. The family were compelled to take Tej to the hospital for a check-up. In the hospital doctors found that the comminuted fractures and the infections on his legs had caused the blood supply to parts of the bone tissue to be interrupted, which had evolved into gangrene. His legs were damaged beyond repair, leaving no other choice but to amputate them.

After the amputation Tej was admitted in the Khagendra New Life Home, established by the Nepalese Disabled Association in Jorpati, Kathmandu in 1965. This organization provides treatment and rehabilitation services, training and education, employment, standard lifestyle and human rights to disabled people. To provide all these services, the Khagendra New Life Home relies partially on financing of the disabled patients themselves, but Tej’s parents have difficulties to finance his further treatment and education.

Tej is a down to earth and soft spoken young man, with a whole life in front of him. He has reached class XII and wants to continues his studies towards a master’s degree, in a college of good reputation. Prosthetic legs would allow Tej to go back to school, and continue a normal life.

The Himalaya Club gave Tej Bahadur two new prostheses legs so he can have a normal and happy life.