We often count our blessings at the holiday time of year. Sometimes it takes a reminder to know how fortunate we are to live in the US, even during troubled times.
I traveled in India for one week this month, primarily to visit the Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, where they specialize in caring for people with hemophilia. World renowned, we trust them and offer our support for surgeries for the poor. To date we have provided surgery or prosthetics for about a dozen patients. One of these is Kuvarsing.
I learned from our wonderful colleague and friend Usha Parthasarathy that this 25-year-old with hemophilia B has an inhibitor, making his life in poverty doubly difficult. He lives in Ramapur village, Maharashtra. His family works “in the field,” and he has two brothers and a sister.
He was undiagnosed for years. One day he developed swollen knees and severe pain in one knee. Despite the pain, Kuvar took his school exams. The control the boys have over pain is astounding. After the exam, he attended a health camp where he was informed that blood had accumulated in his knee and surgery was required. He underwent surgery and doctors applied bandages to his knee for three months. After the bandages were removed, swelling persisted. Further complications led him to the health camp for another surgery, during which more bleeding occurred.
Doctors referred him to King Edward Medical (KEM) Hospital in Mumbai, where it was diagnosed that Kuvar suffers from hemophilia B. From 2019 to 2020, despite health setbacks, Kuvar enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts program and successfully completed the first and second semesters!
Unfortunately a pseudotumor—almost unheard of in the US—developed in his knee. He tested positive for an inhibitor. The medical team at KEM hospital did their best to save his limb, but the high infection rate of the pseudotumor eventually led to amputation. The national group Hemophilia Federation (India) provided factor. The medical team at KEM wanted to provide him with a prosthetic leg for which he needed monetary support. But Kuvar would need to pay for this himself. Due to Kuvar’s low economic background, the financial burden has placed him in a difficult situation.
When we heard about this, we acted. Kuvar now has a new leg… and a new life. A great way to start 2025!
