Nurses spend Thanksgiving week tending to leprosy patients in India

From the beginning of their careers, nurses vow to devote their time and energy to serving patients and making a positive difference in people's lives.

Two nurses in Las Vegas took this vow to a new level, caring for residents with leprosy in two southeast India colonies.

After listening to a lecture from Rebecca Douglas, president of Rising Star Outreach, Lisa Abrahime, a Valley Hospital Medial Center nurse, and Trish Williams, a Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center and Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center nurse, decided to spend their Thanksgiving in the colonies of Bharathipuram and Bethel Nagar.

The two former College of Southern Nevada classmates desired for several years to volunteer in India for several years and took the opportunity through Rising Star Outreach.

"You hear about the poverty and the struggles (in India), but it hits home when you see the people," Abrahime said. "It's sad to see the children, because if it wasn't for this organization, they'd be on the streets begging."

Rising Star Outreach, which was founded in 2000, assists those suffering from leprosy not only in dealing with the disease but in starting small businesses and gaining a sense of self-worth for being involved in their communities.

Williams said Rising Star Outreach has extended its services in the past few years to tackle the problem people with leprosy face in begging for money and food on the streets.

"A lot of the people who have leprosy are considered outcasts," Williams said. "These people have a lot of physical ailments, really bad wounds, and a lot of them don't have hands and feet. With the microlending program, they're able to gain self-worth and have normal lives."

The organization's microlending program provides a resident with loans to start a small business, such as a barber shop, and puts 5 percent of the earnings into an account. Once the account reaches a certain amount, the organization provides a loan to another resident for a new business, and the cycle continues.

Williams and Abrahime said they were able to build relationships with residents of the colonies by doing more than just providing medical care. The women spent a day in each colony treating residents' leprosy wounds but also took time to tutor children. Williams said although most children speak English, reading and writing the language is a different challenge.

"Some kids were struggling with reading and math, but some kids didn't need tutoring," Williams said. "Some were so advanced, they just needed an outlet. I don't know if the kids have really hard things in their lives or what it is, but they're just really mature and different from any other kid I've met."

Abrahime said one of the biggest challenges she still faces after her trip is tackling the misconceptions about leprosy.

"I did a lot of research about the disease before I left, and it's really misunderstood," Abrahime said. "People think you can get (leprosy) just by touching someone. The human is the biggest carrier, but it's contracted with open skin, and (professionals) think leprosy is contracted through contact with nasal and oral secretions."

Abrahime said the experience strengthened the passion for her job as a nurse and encouraged volunteer involvement in her community.

"I've always had the desire to do something extra for people by being a nurse, but this trip gave me the push to contact Volunteers of Southern Nevada and help people here," Abrahime said.

Both women hope to return to India and volunteer for a longer period of time. Until then , Williams hopes to stay connected with the children in India by selling some of their art pieces in Las Vegas, with the funds going toward art and physical education programs at the school.

Costs for the program start at $1,360 plus airfare for a week, according to the Rising Star Outreach website. The fee covers housing and other personal costs, but it also contributes to the various programs for leprosy victims in India. Williams said every dollar spent to volunteer was worth the time she gave in the colonies.

"Being in India made me more grateful," Williams said. "I try to implement what I learned in India, (which is) being more considerate of people, respectful and patient."

For more information about Rising Star Outreach, visit risingstaroutreach.org. For donations to the art fund, contact Williams at decemberseventh@
gmail.com.

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-4686.