Wheels of Hope

Mohandas was a mill worker. He used to be cautious with his work. One day he left home promising his children to come back from work early so that they could attend a musical show happening in a nearby town. There are very less opportunities for such family entertainment, so his children-two daughters were eagerly waiting to attend the evening show. However, on that particular day there was more work than usual and since it was getting late, Mohandas wanted to finish the work quickly. To speed up the process, he pushed the raw material with his foot and it got crushed between the rollers.  He was rushed to the hospital but nothing could be done about his foot. Mohandas was diabetic too and the wound did not heal properly. The doctors had no choice but to amputate his leg below knee. Mohandas used to initially depend on crutches to walk but limping around with crutches was difficult for him and he wished he had access to a wheelchair. After the accident, the family income comes from the tailoring profession of his wife Sandhya and Mohandas could only dream for a wheelchair. So, he did not share this desire with anybody. It was his daughter who came across the free wheelchair distribution programme notice in the newspaper and they contacted the telephone numbers mentioned in the notice and without much delay Mohandas got a free wheelchair. Mohandas is upset about having lost his leg and his wife having to struggle to meet the family needs. However, usi-ng the wheelchair and the crutches he does not have to depend on her to move around and that is a huge relief for him. Also, this initiative of Free wheelchair mission and Sathyam Ministries to communities irrespective of their religion, caste or creed have touched Mohandas’ heart and he has shown interest in reading the Bible and knowing more about Jesus whose love prompts Christians to work for the good of others. Thus, the wheelchair ministry has been a great blessing for this family and we pray that they will soon start serving the living God.  

"The free distribution is not just for Christians?"-this was the first question that Ummar asked. Being a Muslim, he was surprised that his religion did not prevent his paraplegic son from being eligible for a free wheelchair. Belonging to a traditional Muslim family, Ummar lives in a joint family. Ummar and his brother are the only earning members in a 10 member household that includes their wives, parents, sisters and children. Though they are not very sound financially, these hard working brothers make sure that the family is taken care of. Ummar has only one worry-his son Abdul. Abdul suffers from quadriparesis and has 75% permanent disability. Unlike others, Abdul has been lucky. Having been born in a joint family, there has always been people to look after him and take care of his needs. Though it became difficult to carry him around as he became older, this family has been always there for him. Ummar heard about the free wheelchair programme through a charitable society. He hoped his son would receive a free wheelchair too but was doubtful because as the programme was being conducted by a Christian organization, he assumed this facility will also be only for Christians. Since he had nothing to lose, he decided to apply anyway. Some weeks later he received a call informing him about his son’s free wheelchair delivery. Abdul is happier now. He can move around by himself, something he had always dreamed of. The family is thankful to all who are involved in the free wheelchair ministry. They are touched by the love of God they have experienced through the ministry.

Having a mentally retarded child itself makes things difficult and to add to it when you have financial burden, things become worse because you cannot care for your child properly. Abdul Manaf aged 18 suffers from 75% permanent disability. The disability is in relation to cerebral palsy with mental retardation. The doctors do not expect his condition to improve. Financial troubles have often made it difficult for his father Abdul Majeed to meet all his needs but Majeed is doing his best. His illness makes Manaf very difficult to look after at times. Manaf is a heavy kid and complying with his demands has never been easy for the parents. Majeed has often dreamed about a wheelchair for his son. He thinks that if they are able to take Manaf around on the wheelchair, he will become more cheerful and less demanding. Well, the cost of wheelchairs has made him to quickly dispose off these thoughts. Majeed came to know about free wheelchair programme from his Christian neighbors. They told him that a Christian organization was involved with free wheelchair programme. Upon more enquiry, he learned that he could apply for the free wheelchair through a charitable trust functioning in the neighbouring village. Majeed doubted that his religion would stand in the way of being eligible for the wheelchair but approached the officials of the organization hoping they would understand the need. After talking to the officials, Majeed realized that he could dismiss all fears as religion had nothing to do with the free wheelchair programme and Manaf received his free wheelchair in a few weeks. The family is very grateful to the free wheelchair organization and they are amazed at the love of Christ that makes such blessings possible.

Aleyamma Ulahannan was a happy woman. She had a loving family. She happily labored for the needs of her family-her husband, children and in-laws. She showed the same love and care towards all the people she met. The needy people in her neighbourhood would always turn to her for help and Aleyamma never failed to meet their needs. She used to regularly visit their neighbors and ensure that things were well with them. She was always there for all. She was never idle. She was always occupied in doing good for all. As age advanced, she contracted arthritis and began to suffer from pain in legs and hands. Slowly, she had to cut down on her visits and others had to take care of her. For someone like Aleyamma , this was new experience. She was not used to depending on others. Others had always depended on her. Soon, she began to suffer from depression in addition to physical pain. Since her children had to go for work, they hired a servant to look after her, while they were away. Aleyamma found it very difficult being confined indoors. It was during this time that her son came across the free wheelchair distribution notice in the newspaper. He immediately contacted Sathyam Ministries and soon collected the free wheelchair from the Sathyam Ministries office. Aleyamma was overjoyed to get back her mobility. Though she is now old, she moves around happily on her wheelchair eager to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.