Amerchand - Bed no. 6

I New Zealand er der forskellige sponsorer, som istedet for at sponsorere en specifik patient, sponsorerer en seng. En gang i mellem faar de saa historien om den patient der ligger i den seng de sponsorerer. Dette er historien om Amerchand.

Amerchand who is around 28 years old is now in bed no. 6. Amerchand grew up in Kurukchetra in the state of Haryana north of Delhi. His mother died when he was very little so he stayed with his father who was a common labourer. He and his brother moved to Delhi with their father when Amerchand was around 5 or 6 years old. His father was making enough money for him to go to school, but Amerchand didn’t go more than once or twice. He spent time on the streets collecting metal or plastic to make some money, and sometimes he went to weddings where he was picking up the money people threw on the maried couple as an Indian ritual.

From around the age of 7 he started his drug abuse. First he was smoking marijuana, drinking wine and alcohol, then later he started taking sleeping tablets and brown sugar or smack. His father died when Amerchand was in his early twenties after suffering from TB (Tuberculosis). His father was also a drug addict for many years before he died.

Before his father died, Amerchand already suffered from TB. First time he got TB in his lungs, second tim in his stommach and third time it went in his spinal. He then became paralyzed and went to the RTBT hospital in New Delhi which is a TB hospital with around 3000 patients.

He was found by Suresh from the Ashram 5 years ago. Suresh goes the hospital every day and hand out fresh fruit to the people who were brought here by people from the Ashram. It is a government run hospital, but not like any hospital you may have been to. Spit and vomit cover the walls, dogs and rats assembly in the halls and the toilets are best avoided. He was brought to the Ashram were he finished his treatment and for 3,5 years he has now been working in the jewelry team.

Amerchand is very happy to be here and everything is very good he says!