Ajantha

Introduction

Ajantha is a 56-year-old amputee living in Uhumiya. She grew up with her parents and eight siblings, attending her village school until the 6th grade. Ajantha now spends her time listening to Buddhist preachings and sermons on the radio.

“On January 20th, 2001, I got sick,” she said. “I got pain in my leg with burning.” Her leg was treated by a doctor and she was sent home. But with time, the infection spread began to smell. When she visited the doctor for the second time, they recommended amputation. 

Devastated, she initially refused. Yet after realizing that her infection would not get better, she returned to the hospital and agreed. 

On April 4th, 2020, Ajantha was taken to surgery for a below-knee amputation. She was discharged around the time of the COVID-19 shutdown. 

Ajantha received a government disability benefit for 2 months, but it has since been discontinued.

Now, she lives with her younger brother and is helped by neighbors and family. She uses a wheelchair and crutches, but rarely travels anywhere except the local clinic once a month. “I have to hire a vehicle, spending about 750 rupees, for each clinic visit. Before, I used to go using the public bus,” she said.

“I was very sad that I lost my leg, especially when I see other people with legs. I could not go and visit my friends by myself. I could not go out and run errands by myself. I have to depend on my family for everything. Now I cannot cook for myself; I have to depend on someone else to do that for me,” she replied when asked about how her life has changed.

With a prosthesis, she hopes to become more independent, completing activities of daily living such as cooking, cleaning, and visiting friends without the help of others.

Follow-up (6 months)

What challenges did you face as soon as you got the leg?

“I developed a wound on my leg stump which I had to get treated. I also had to learn to walk with my new leg which took some effort.”

How has the leg helped you?

“I have been trying to be more independent now. I still need some help since my vision has been affected by diabetes, but I am able to do more things for myself now.”

What other activities are you able to do?

“When I lost my leg, I became mostly bedbound. Now I am able to go out into the porch and sit in a chair. I also have been able to walk in my garden. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift.”

This message has been translated from Sinhala to English.