Thursday, April 8, 2010

The Story of Debapriya Roy

Sharing Disability Around the World

Hello, I am Debapriya Roy from Rangamati, Hill District of Bangladesh. I would like to share my story and tell you some things about me. I completed my Higher Secondary Degree and then was admitted to an Engineering University for higher study in 1974. In that same year I was accepted to take a scholarship to study in France.

On the 16th of January 1975 in the evening, I rode my motorbike to say goodbye to my friends as I was leaving for my scholarship the next day. But life had given me a different plan. During my travel I was involved in a collision which led to me being taken to the hospital. After a few hours, when my senses came back, I realised I lost the power to move both my legs.

I had a very bad bedsore and I spent one month in the local hospital without proper treatment. One of our family friends advised my parents to shift me to Memorial Christian Hospital, at that time he told my parents that in that hospital was the famous Dr Viggo Brand Olsen MD. After a month I was shifted to that hospital. I was under treatment of the great Doctor named Olsen (who is the founder of Mission Hospital) and physiotherapist Dr Larry Golen. They assisted me to improve as much as my health permitted.

Dr Olsen told me that my C-7 dislocated. I can sit on a wheelchair and walk a little with a parallel bar.
With the help of my Doctor I learnt Pathology and worked a year in that hospital. 3 years after the accident I came back to my home town, Rangamati. Disabled life is really very had in my country. There are no jobs available for disabled people, no financial help so it becomes a burden for families. If you visit my country you will see many disabled begging in the street for food with no good shelter to live in. Many live beside the road.
I have learnt how to help my people by doing translations into our language, Chakma. Everything I do shows that hard work must be done to assist these people.

I am trying to find an organisation or someone to help people with disability to access land and shelter, instead of living on the street. You are welcome to come to my country and to help assist people with disability.

Debapriya Roy

http://www.facebook.com/debapriya.roy

http://twitter.com/Debfordisabled

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