Archie visits TLM Anandaban, Nepal 1964

Late in the afternoon Deidre Banks, the nursing superintendent from the Leprosy Mission’s Anandaban Leprosy Hospital, drove Archie there for a visit.

The jeep bounced and lurched the whole way over the stony road but the rough ride was worth it. Anandaban means ‘forest of joy’ in Nepali.

Church on Sunday was a heart-warming experience for Archie. ‘It’s amazing to think that only last Sunday I was in a church in Auckland with family, and this Sunday at a church near the Buddhist city of Kathmandu!’ he said.

It was cold in the mountains in February, a sharp contrast to the New Zealand summer Archie had left.

‘No wonder you send out appeals for knitted scarves and patchwork quilts for your patients,’ he said to Deidre the next morning. He thought of Almora where another TLM hospital was located. It was higher in the Himalayas than Kathmandu. He would visit it later.

Anandaban Leprosy Hospital continues to help many people. Their website states:

‘The Anandaban Hospital staff have a strong connection with patients throughout their entire journey with leprosy. Whether they are in the hospital recovering from reconstructive surgery; undergoing intensive physiotherapy; or in Rosa House (the rehabilitation unit) preparing to return to their community, staff provide a safe and caring relationship with the patients, every step of the way.’

(Page 304-305)

The price for the book is $26.95 including postage in NZ. For each copy sold, $15 will be donated to the Leprosy Mission NZ.

Please contact Shirley at shirley.jamieson.nz@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing this book.