Dive into darkness

January 15: Had Sachin Hagawane known while diving into the Vadgaon canal with his brother Shailesh that his life would be an endless circle...

January 15: Had Sachin Hagawane known while diving into the Vadgaon canal with his brother Shailesh that his life would be an endless circle of bedsores and bedpans while he lay bedridden, he would definitely not have taken the plunge.

Then, a strapping B Com final year student at the Garware College, Sachin, today has been reduced to a bag of bones. In bed for the last three years, Sachin8217;s body is covered with bed sores. Since the feel of cloth gives him shooting pains, he is naked beneath his quilt.His aging mother and younger brother, who did not search for a job after completing his degree in engineering so that he could nurse Sachin, share his nightmare world.

However, all is not lost for the young boy who dreamt of becoming a Chartered Accountant some day. As a ray of hope comes a nature cure treatment before the injury to his spinal cord could render him bedridden for life. According to Swaroop Seva, a Pune-based social service organisation, which is collecting funds for his treatment, doctors at the Christian Medical College, Vellor, have expressed hope that Sachin will be almost completely cured at the end of the treatment.

The hope has come after three years of treatment in Pune, at Madhukar Hospital and then the Ruby Hall Nursing Home, where physiotherapist Dr Bapat recommended Vellor.

As part of his cure, Sachin has to spend as much as six hours at a stretch in tanks filled with medicated oils. This oil treatment which is expected to last three months does not hurt Sachin8217;s tender skin who patiently undergoes the treatment.

According to his doctors, he is expected to be 95 per cent cured by the specialised treatment that involves massages, bathing in medicated oils and different forms of exercise. The treatment is expected to cost Rs 2 lakh, something that Sachin8217;s father, a retired technician from Swastik Rubber Limited, and his mother, a primary school teacher with Jeevan Shikshan Mandir, Vittalwadi, cannot afford.

While Rs 15,000 has already been collected and sent to Vellor and Swaroop Seva has promised another Rs 10,000, volunteers are trying to put together the rest of the cash. The donations will be exempt from tax under 80 G of Income Tax. Donations in the form of crossed cheques can be drawn in favour of Swaroop Seva.