New Day January 2022 by The Leprosy Mission

JA N UA RY 2 02 2

I lifT up MY eyEs To tHE mountains – wherE DoEs MY hElp comE from? Psalm 121:1 (NIV)

Photography © Sabrina Dangol

PAG E 2 — S EC T I O N / PAG E T I T L E

Dear Friends,

As CEO, I’ve been so privileged to meet many special people across the amazing projects that you help to fund. It’s astounding to personally see the cutting-edge expertise of our teams overseas at places like Anandaban Hospital in Nepal. It’s also been a real privilege to pray with so many of you over the phone during the pandemic. One of the biggest thrills for me when we talk together, is hearing about your genuine connection to people living with the effects of leprosy. Your love for them, and for our staff overseas who live such sacrificial lives, is a real testimony for Jesus. It’s also a personal encouragement to me. In this edition of New Day, you will see that love and care underpins everything that you make possible. But it’s so exciting to also share about pioneering research and medical breakthroughs happening right now, all of which will have a global impact. You can read about some of this on page 11. You’ll read about Dr Indra and Deanna, who I’ve met both here and in Nepal. They could so easily use their God-given gifts

God’s blessing, your wonderful support, and the dedication of our staff are the special ingredients that mean we have an amazing opportunity. Together we can go to even greater heights and end leprosy in our lifetime. Anandaban means ‘forest of hope’ in Nepali. And it’s in this forest of hope, tucked away on a mountainside near Kathmandu, that you’ll find some dilapidated research labs that are already changing the world for people affected by leprosy. They’re in such a state that the labs risk being closed by the government. If this happens, your dream to end leprosy in our lifetime is lost. I pray that you will join me as we seek to rebuild, brick by brick, so that our friends in Nepal can continue with the research that takes us closer to ending one of the oldest diseases known to man. God bless you for your determination to see an end to this devastating disease once and for all.

Peter Waddup Chief Executive

P E T E R ’ S L E T T E R — PAG E 3

Happy New Year and welcome to the first edition of New Day. It’s a time of renewed hope and promise of what is to come. Together we share the hope that we’ll see an end to leprosy in our lifetime. As we launch the Greater Heights campaign, we take one step closer to making this dream a reality.

to seek more lucrative worldly opportunities, but instead they have answered God’s call to this amazing ministry.

PAG E 4 — R E AC H TO T H E S U M M I T FO R P EO P L E L I K E S H A K T I

WE NEED TO REACH THE SUMMIT FOR PEOPLE LIKE SHAKTI Meet Shakti from the remote Terai region of Nepal. Medical breakthroughs at Anandaban could have saved this beautiful young woman’s leg. She could be living her dream of becoming a doctor. Instead, 16-year-old Shakti is recovering from a below the knee amputation at Anandaban Hospital. This was the only way to save her life after ulcers caused by leprosy became severely infected. At Anandaban Shakti will be fitted for a prosthetic leg to make her more mobile. However, devastatingly, she says her dream of becoming a doctor is now out of reach. Although she is a bright student, it is not easy to go to medical school from a lowincome family like Shakti’s. But she says it is her disability and the stigma attached that make it just too big a hurdle to overcome. It doesn’t have to be this way. Perched on a hill is the research lab at Anandaban. There, a diagnostic test is being developed that will diagnose leprosy on a smartphone. Imagine people from remote communities like Shakti’s being diagnosed on the spot, in their villages. If Shakti’s leprosy had been found and treated earlier, she would not have lost her leg. Her ulcers could have been treated with a natural healing technique developed at Anandaban. These are just two of the discoveries pioneered at the hilltop research lab at Anandaban. Each day the research team are making breakthroughs that are having a global impact and paving the way to the end of leprosy.

The mountainous challenge facing the leprosy world today is saving the research lab from being forced to close. It is too small, not fit for purpose and was also severely damaged in the disastrous earthquakes of 2015. The lab simply won’t pass the upcoming Nepali Government inspection. If this happens, the chance to end leprosy in our lifetime will be lost. God challenges us all to reach greater heights in His name. Inspired by the ministry of Jesus, will you help rebuild Anandaban Research Centre, a place where medical miracles happen? You have already done so much for people affected by leprosy like Shakti. Will you now join us so that together we can reach the summit – the end of leprosy? Photography © Sabrina Dangol

S EC T I O N / PAG E T I T L E — PAG E 5

The sky’s the limit

PAG E 6 — S EC T I O N / PAG E T I T L E

Paralympian and Vice-President of The Leprosy Mission, Stef Reid writes... When I lost my leg in a boating accident at the age of 15, I was completely devastated. But one of the things that got me through was daring myself to go to greater heights. This meant aiming for the Paralympics and going to university. I’m now a proud Paralympian and a graduate in biochemistry. Because of my life experience I am passionate both about scientific research and the need to speed up medical discoveries at Anandaban. Visiting Anandaban Hospital in Nepal was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Many of the patients I met were amputees because their leprosy was treated too late. When they saw that I too was an amputee, there was an instant connection. Overriding any language barrier was an understanding that we had experienced similar pain. My trip to Nepal made me incredibly thankful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had that helped me achieve my goals. Back in 2006, before the Paralympics came into most people’s consciousness, becoming a sprinter with one foot seemed an impossible dream. With my running blades and access to fantastic training, it became a reality. I have been blessed with opportunity, and I know you want this for each and every person affected by leprosy. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have made possible at Anandaban. Thanks to you, people affected by leprosy are given the very best clinical care at Anandaban and are loved unconditionally. There they can have reconstructive surgery to restore the use of their hands and feet, and can even have a life-changing prosthetic crafted for them.

Left: Five-time world record holder Paralympian Stef Reid competing in the long jump

I now feel God calling us to even greater heights. It is my prayer that every person at Anandaban has the opportunities they deserve. Inside the research lab at Anandaban is the incredible potential to end leprosy. I was blown away when the research team explained that the science was already there for leprosy to be diagnosed on a smartphone! It just needs to be taken to the world stage. I will never forget meeting Santosh at Anandaban Hospital. I find it incredible that research carried out in that tiny, cramped mountaintop lab can prevent others like him from having their legs amputated as a result of leprosy. Today we face a stark choice. We either lose this amazing research facility or, together, we rebuild it brick by brick and give the team the best possible environment and equipment.

Right: Stef visits the research lab at Anandaban

Above: Stef meets double amputee Santosh at Anandaban Hospital

T H E S K Y ’ S T H E L I M I T — PAG E 7

Please will you join me and help turn a crumbling lab into a state-of-the-art research hub, a place of medical miracles – Anandaban Research Centre.

A life less ordinary

PAG E 8 — A L I F E L E S S O R D I N A RY

Dr Deanna Hagge is Director of Research and Laboratories for The Leprosy Mission in Nepal. She has worked at Anandaban since 2007 following 15 years of university study and research in her home state of Louisiana, USA. Deanna is one of the leading microbiologists in leprosy research.

Deanna, you grew up in the US. Can you tell us how you came to head up The Leprosy Mission’s research in Nepal? When I look back at God’s hand on my life, it is quite remarkable. I didn’t have the means to fund going to university when I left school. I remember saying to God, ‘If you want me to go to university, please could you provide for it.’ I took an exam and, amazingly, got a full scholarship to Louisiana State University. I went on to work as a graduate student in the National Leprosy Programme at Carville in Louisiana, the site of the last leprosy hospital in the US. It was an incredible experience with people researching leprosy across the globe passing through our lab. God provided for me so that I could do all this study. I never had to take out a loan and even had a stipend to live on. There came a time, however, when the grant funding ran out. I’d spent 15 years researching neglected tropical diseases and suddenly was out of a job. I said to God, ‘I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do.’ Nothing happened for six months, no doors seemed to be opening. During this time a visiting preacher came to my church. He prayed for me and said, ‘God’s given you a heart for people from other countries and He’s going to take care of it.’

‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

I had always hung out with overseas students and loved being with people from other cultures. I liked foreign cinema and had read many missionary biographies. Inspired by them, I visited The Leprosy Mission’s website where a job vacancy was advertised – Head of Research Laboratories at Anandaban in Nepal. I began to realise how God had prepared me for this job. I had never interviewed outside of my home city, but was at total peace with it. After the interview, someone on the panel said to me, ‘Do you know you’re an answer to our prayers?’ God never wastes any experience.

Your faith in God has clearly directed your life. Have you always been a Christian? When I was around four or five, I remember thinking God is the boss and I should do as He says. God was with me from an early age. My father was in the military and we moved around a lot. God was my stability. In my job I see many people going through really hard times. God has given me a heart for the people of the world and a heart for people who are hurting.

The reality is that God has a plan for every one of us to build His kingdom. He put me in a position where I can help people through research. This is His plan for my life.

Why is building a research centre so important? It is hard to believe that we are leading global research into leprosy from this tiny little lab on the side of a Himalayan foothill. We may be small, but we are a dynamic team and get a lot done. The research going on here can literally pave the way to the end of leprosy by reducing its spread, and also the disability caused by the disease. I have come to learn that where there is a good idea, with God there is a path. My colleague Dr Indra had the idea of using L-PRF, a technique to speed up the body’s natural healing process, to treat leprosy patients’ ulcers. One in five leprosy patients have ulcers which can put them in hospital for many months. L-PRF is now part of wider research project headed up by the University of Birmingham and will set the standard for the global treatment of foot ulcers. These occur not only in those affected by leprosy, but also by diabetes. This treatment could have an enormous impact on disability globally. It is amazing that this research started out in our tiny lab. I hate to think what could happen to our research in progress if we cannot build a new research centre.

A L I F E L E S S O R D I N A RY — PAG E 9

I’ve visited projects in Africa where I have thought, ‘Why God are you bringing me to places where there is so much poverty and so many people hurting? I can’t help each and every individual, so how can I make a difference?’

PAG E 10 — S EC T I O N / PAG E T I T L E

Under the microscope in the hilltop lab

‘When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.’ Psalm 61:2 (NKJV)

1 in 5 leprosy patients develop ulcers Faster healing times are life-changing for patients like Urmila, who made a 16-hour bus journey to Anandaban for the new treatment. The last 25 years have been tough for Urmila and Anandaban has become a second home to her. She has spent much of her life at the hospital where she was first diagnosed and treated for leprosy, aged 11.

People affected by leprosy have frequent hospital stays to cure ulcers, which can take many months, or even years to heal. Wonderfully, a pioneering treatment trialled at Anandaban means that even the most severe ulcers can heal within seven weeks!

Urmila has a particularly persistent ulcer on her foot that has not healed even after years of treatment. She walks with crutches and rarely leaves the house. However, after receiving L-PRF treatment, the severe wound on Urmila’s foot is finally healing. She will be discharged after a few weeks with a specially designed protective shoe to prevent further injury.

Senior Surgeon at Anandaban, Dr Indra Napit, explained that the L-PRF (Leukocyte and Platelet Rich Fibrin) technique uses blood taken from a patient and then spun in a centrifuge. This produces a concentration of white blood cells, stem cells and other healing factors. The gel-like substance is then pressed into strips and applied like a plaster to a patient’s ulcer.

Urmila’s wide smile shows the hope and determination she now has for her future. She said excitedly: “If my leg gets better then I will learn weaving and open a shop selling shawls and clothes.”

Up to half of leprosy patients suffer a leprosy reaction Leprosy reaction is an extremely painful condition that can lead to disability. On a practical level, it hospitalises patients for many months, leaving them unable to earn a living and separated from family. It is caused by an over-response of the immune system to the dead leprosy bacteria in the body. Reaction can occur before, during, or even years after leprosy is treated with Multidrug therapy, so it poses a huge problem for doctors and patients.

a new drug that effectively treats reaction. The results of an early trial are exciting, with all participants recovering within 28 days. Crucially, there have been very few side effects and paracetamol has been enough to manage the pain.

Doctors have very limited options for treating leprosy reactions. There is no single drug to stop nerve damage and some of the most effective drugs have serious side effects.

He arrived at the hospital with his face and ears painfully swollen, a typical symptom of leprosy reaction. It is so important for patients like Krishna that larger scale drug trials can continue.

However, there has been a breakthrough at the Anandaban research lab. They have identified

Krishna said: “People were so repulsed with my face that they would run away. It made me very sad.”

If approved, this treatment would be transformative for patients like Krishna, who is currently at Anandaban Hospital.

U N D E R T H E M I C R O S CO P E — PAG E 1 1

Nobody likes to feel pain, but pain is actually a gift that protects us from injury. Leprosy causes nerve damage which numbs hands and feet, meaning a person can no longer feel pain. Without the gift of pain, cuts and burns can go unnoticed and ulcers develop. If untreated, they can become infected and lead to disability and even amputation.

Early diagnosis is everything Shakti needn’t have lost her leg to leprosy. If she was diagnosed and treated in the early stages of the disease she would now be applying to medical school.

PAG E 1 2 — S EC T I O N / PAG E T I T L E

It takes a high level of clinical skill to diagnose leprosy. There is a myriad of skin diseases, such as dermatitis, that can appear very similar. Each year, your gifts enable thousands of health workers and volunteers to be trained to diagnose leprosy. However, even with training it can be extremely difficult to diagnose the early cases. In these instances, a skin smear or biopsy is taken to confirm a diagnosis. This can be tricky in the remote mountainous areas of Nepal where there are no lab facilities, sometimes for hundreds of miles. Excitingly, a research project is underway at Anandaban which could enable leprosy to be diagnosed on a smartphone. An adjusted smartphone camera would determine whether a skin lesion has been caused by leprosy. The results could be a gamechanger. More cases of leprosy could be found and treated in the early stages than ever before, meaning that thousands of people could be saved from preventable disability.

Reaching to greater heights to end leprosy God is going before the research team at Anandaban, inspiring them each day in their work. The research lab at Anandaban is so much more than a building, it is a place where medical miracles are happening every day. The dream of a world without leprosy is in all our hearts. The research team are inspired and excited when they think of how close they are to making this dream a reality. However, they are carrying out cutting-edge research in a place that is not fit for purpose. The poor condition of the lab means it will not pass its upcoming Nepali Government inspection. Dr Santosh Dulal is a research scientist working at the Anandaban lab. He returned to his native Nepal to help people affected by leprosy after completing his PhD in the United States. He explained: “This building was a medical ward

and was later converted to a lab, so it doesn’t meet the national and international standards for a research laboratory. “The doors are so small that we couldn’t get some of the equipment inside. There was no option but to leave it in the corridor. This is far from ideal, as the equipment needs plenty of space and good ventilation. “The condition of the lab is not only harmful to the innovative research we are doing, but also to the health of our staff. “We are doing such important work here, but we struggle with the crumbling infrastructure.” It is so clear that a new research centre is desperately needed at Anandaban. This is the only way the discoveries you read about here can reach people across the world, paving the way to the end of leprosy in Jesus’ name.

U N D E R T H E M I C R O S CO P E — PAG E 1 3

Krishna, a prosthetics technician at Anandaban, measures Shakti’s stump ahead of crafting a bespoke prosthetic limb. Although this will make Shakti’s life easier, an early leprosy diagnosis would have prevented Shakti’s disability

PAG E 1 4 — H E L P R E B U I L D A N A N DA B A N R E S E A R C H C E N T R E

WILL YOU HELP REBUILD ANANDABAN RESEARCH CENTRE TODAY? As you will have read in this edition of New Day; without Anandaban Research Centre, the chance to end leprosy in our lifetime will be lost forever. You’ve already helped thousands of people affected by leprosy and inspired medical teams to make life-changing discoveries. Now will you go even further. Will you help rebuild Anandaban Research Centre and make it a place of medical miracles? Can you imagine how Shakti felt when she was told her leg had to be amputated? It must have been so devastating to hear. All from infected ulcers that could have been prevented. Shakti believes that her dream of becoming a doctor is now over. Leprosy should never be allowed to steal someone’s future. Without the right care, leprosy can cause permanent disability. Unfortunately for Shakti, that care came too late. But thanks to pioneering research at Anandaban Research Centre, more people could be diagnosed faster than ever before. The power of science will stop people like Shakti losing their hopes and dreams. This is why together, we must rebuild Anandaban Research Centre now. We can’t delay. The futures of young people are depending on it. With your help, the summit of ending leprosy is in sight. People like Shakti won’t need an amputation to save their life. You can make sure leprosy and disability don’t stop them from reaching the great heights they aspire to. With a kind gift, you are laying the foundations for pioneering breakthroughs. Your love and compassion will create a world where everyone feels accepted, not rejected. A place where people like Shakti feels she belongs. Today, your caring support will rebuild Anandaban Research Centre. Together let’s show people like Shakti we are committed to ending leprosy for good. Together, we can find new treatments so that people affected by the disease can reach greater heights in life. Please see overleaf to see how you can help.

S EC T I O N / PAG E T I T L E — PAG E 1 5

Please donate what you can today:

 The Leprosy Mission England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay Peterborough, PE2 5GZ  01733 370505  post@tlmew.org.uk globe leprosymission.org.uk/ greaterheights Registered Charity No. 1050327

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