I cannot believe that it has been five years since I lay in that darkness, underneath eight floors of a hotel in Gongabu, my legs trapped under a concrete beam.
I forced myself to remain conscious, that was the only way I could raise an alarm for rescuers. They finally came 24 hours later. I could hear them call from what seemed very far away. I was transferred to Teaching Hospital, where I would wake up three days later to realise that I had lost both my legs.
I ran away to Kathmandu at age 16 with the hope of providing a better life for my family back in Dailekh. My father and his father before that were seasonal migrant workers in India. I spent my childhood going back and forth between Nepal and India.
Elder sons are held in high regard in our society, they are expected to be the income earners to take care of the family. I felt responsible about looking after my ageing parents, and was determined to give my brothers and sisters a good education.
My first job was to wash dishes at the hotel, but soon I learnt how to cook. I did not go back to Dailekh for two years, but was packing to return that very day. I had bought my bus ticket, but fate had other plans.
There are no words to describe the pain and suffering of those two months in the hospital. Even after being discharged, every day was a struggle. I had to constantly fight to regain the life I had lost.
But I was resolute about achieving something in life. I had lost my limbs, but my determination was very much intact. With the love, care and affection showered by my sisters Jasmin and Puja Didi, and strengthened by support of friends, doctors and nurses, I began to see my goal in life with more clarity.
I was taken care of at the Bal Poshan Sanstha, who helped and supported me physically, emotionally and with my physiotherapy. I was constantly encouraged by Sunita Rimal, who runs the organisation, who used to tell me: “Look at all the people who have disabilities just like you. Look at all the things that they can do. You can do them, too.”
My physiotherapy continued with Humanity and Inclusion Nepal which trained me to use my new prosthetic legs. After transferring to the Nepal Health Equipment Development Foundation (NHEDF) where I was looked after by its manager, Samrat Basnet, I began visiting the Rastriya Apanga Kosh, where I would practice more physiotherapy.
But the Blockade made it difficult to commute to my physiotherapy lessons, so I familiarised myself with using a wheelchair. It was dangerous, I could have been hit by cars, but I persevered because I needed to get my leg muscles working again.
To my delight, with the help of Devina Bulot, Pawan Tuladhar, and Pawan Pradhan, I started taking classes at Navajivan Madhyamik Vidyalaya. I could not believe that within a year of the earthquake, I had the opportunity to study again.
