Earthquake Relief in Nepal

In late October 2008, while celebrating Deepavali (a Nepali festival known as the “festival of lights”) with his family, 79-year-old Chandra felt a sudden loss of sensation in the right half of his body. Worried, his family rushed him to Kathmandu for treatment. The next day, Chandra found himself lying on the hospital bed, unable to move.

Chandra continued to struggle after numerous physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions in Kathmandu. “I had difficulty doing daily chores like cleaning, washing and self-grooming,” he recalls. These problems were compounded by limited mobility, which also affected Chandra psychologically, as they caused loneliness and low self-esteem.

Chandra visited International Medical Corps’ facility in Gorkha District, which provides outpatient physical therapy services. There, our trained physical therapists and nursing staff assessed and evaluated his condition, and developed a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for him. While Chandra thought he was destined to be bedridden, having completed three months of physical therapy with International Medical Corps’ staff, Chandra can walk with the support of a cane. He recalls the day he was able to walk again as one of the happiest moments of his life.

Following the 2015 earthquakes that devastated several areas of Nepal, Emergency Response Team’s surgeon Dr. Blitzer noted that, “People with complex wound problems will need care and rehabilitation for months.” In response to the ever-present need, International Medical Corps established rehabilitation and disability care services at the Gorkha District Hospital, reaching men, women and children injured by the earthquake as well as those facing long-term debilitating conditions. Today, we have reached more than 2,400 patients with physical therapy through our facility in Gorkha alone and we continue to strengthen and improve rehabilitation care in the earthquake-affected areas.

Chandra’s son, Sanjeev, recalls the day his father was able to walk again: “Early in the morning, he was strolling around the neighborhood and I could see his happy face greeting everyone because it was after a long wait that he was able to walk around independently. Now he can do his everyday activities unsupervised and loves to chat with other elderly men. I am grateful to International Medical Corps’ physical therapy team for giving my father his life back."

It is with the support of you and other generous donors that we can provide individuals with relief and recovery services like physical therapy and rehabilitation care following the earthquakes in Nepal. We thank you for your continued support. 

Photos taken by Omar Havana