Two worlds collide

I had the great opportunity to meet with a group of people last night who have the potential to change lives in India.

Dr. Manju and her thirteen year old daughter Dia flew into Atlanta from Southern India yesterday morning and found themselves at Longhorn Steakhouse in Dawsonville at 5pm. Can you imagine what they must have been thinking?

Dr. Manju works in a hospital in Bangalore, India. Bangalore is a massive city with a population of nearly 8.5 million people. Compare that to the city of Atlanta with a population of 447,000 people. And the entire State of Georgia has a population of 9.95 million. So, out of all those millions of people, we collided in Dawsonville, GA.

At the hospital where Dr. Manju works, she and her colleagues take care of patients of all ages with numerous needs. She explained to me that it is relatively easy to treat the illnesses that they see in the hospital – the fevers, the injuries, the emergency needs. However, they need some additional support to help meet the day to day needs of the children with disabilities whose families are unable to care for their needs at home.  To help meet those needs, Dr. Manju is spearheading an effort to create an area of the hospital where children with disabilities can live and have access to therapies that can improve their lives. Many of the children have been abandoned by their families and viewed as cursed because of their disabilities.

David Glover, founder of PURE Ministries, reached out to me in an attempt to make some connections with therapists in North Georgia who may be interested in providing professional development to the therapists in India. We met with David and his wife Lee and Grey & Lauren Haddon, a husband and wife team of physical therapists and ConnectAbility volunteers. Over Longhorn steaks and that awesome bread, we discussed the possibility of getting physical therapists along with PT students and faculty to plan a trip to India. David & Lee traveled to Bangalore last year and gave great reviews on the accommodations.

As of right now, there are no concrete plans, dates or arrangements. But I left feeling amazed at the opportunity to be part of a project at the ground level – nothing flashy or glamourous – but a real, needed project to ultimately help kids with disabilities in India.

One of the core values of ConnectAbility as an organization is the belief that every life has value. No matter who, where or what challenges are faced. One day, I would love to have the opportunity to share that viewpoint with our friends in India and offer them hope in the form of practical support.

And I can’t help but appreciate the fact that out of 6 billion+ people on this planet, our group was gathered at Longhorn last night, motivated by love, with a common goal of helping kids with disabilities who are extremely underserved.

Are you a therapist (speech, occupational or physical) or therapy student who has an interest in learning more about Dr. Manju’s work? If so, please contact us and we can put you in touch with her and keep you posted as plans begin to develop.