​The story of Li Runlian began before she was born 82 years ago.  This is her story as told to our Village Coordinator in Luding.
 
       I am now 82 years old; it is a miracle that I am still alive today.  I was born in Chuni Township of Luding County.  My father passed away when I was still in the womb of my mother, and my tragic life began since then.  My mother re-married and later I became the elder sister of two brothers and 1 sister.  One of my brothers married and went to live with his wife’s family, the other brother left home without a word.  My poor little sister, she was born mute.

​I was diagnosed with leprosy when I was two and just learning to walk.  Red spots and rashes were found on my hands.  I received various treatments for years but saw no improvement.  My family then locked me up at home to stop the neighbors from finding out.  I didn’t feel it was that bad in the beginning, I helped my mom do some household chores.  But my illness got worse; all of my limbs began to bend so that I could not do anything at home.  My step father began his day by abusing me; I was beaten every day.  I tried to kill myself by jumping off a cliff, but I was dissuaded by passers-by.  My mother eventually found out about my attempt to commit suicide.  She could not bear my being abused by my step-father so she borrowed some money from relatives and walked for a whole day to bring me to the leprosy rehab village where I am now living.

It was a summer day in July of 1970, when I was brought to this mountain village with wooden huts; located at the other side of the river.  There were many other patients living here.  When I first came here, my disability was more serious than the other villagers.  I was bullied by them and most of the time went to sleep on an empty stomach.  I ran away to live in the cave on the top of the mountain.  I survived by growing and eating raw turnips and other vegetables.  One day the doctor from the village hunted pheasants in the area and left a fire burning. I kept the fire going and was finally able to cook myself some hot potatoes and corn.  During those years of harsh life in the cave, my health deteriorated further.  After two years I found out that the situation in the village was better managed and more under control so I decided to move back to the village.

​While my mother was alive, she came to visit me twice a year; she cried profusely every time she visited me.  Over the years the society and livelihood had been improving. I received both financial and physical support from the Government.  I wrote to my mother inviting her to visit me. She always replied by saying: “You silly girl, you don’t really want to see me; you only want to share with me the meat that was given to you by the Government.”  Sadly, happy life like that did not last long, my mother passed away.  My heart was broken into pieces. I could not do anything but cry.  My mother had gone through the worst days with me and now she could not enjoy the fruit with me.  How could I enjoy it by myself, alone?  That was the biggest regret in my life; I lost the only person who ever loved me……
 
       In 2008, Rotary Clubs and The Leprosy Project visited our village.  They provided me medicine and treatment for my ulcers.  Before they came I was taking 5-6 pain killers 5-6 times a day.  I still could not bear the pain. Since I was taken care of by the healthcare worker Ms. Wang Li who was trained by The Leprosy Project, my ulcers are much improved.  I do not have to take so many pain killers, and of course I have been much happier.  I no longer worry about my living as I have been taken good care of by the Project and the Government; I have no worries on any economic issue.  I have my own money to spend on food.  I have never been happier.

​Words from the recorder:
Ms. Li has been living a very harsh life since she was diagnosed with leprosy at the age of 2.  She lost both her hands and feet forcing her to walk on her knees.  Despite her circumstances, all I see is her smiling face every time I visit this village.  She not only takes good care of herself, but she also farms on her land even she is now 82 years old.  Her fortitude, optimism and attitude towards life have inspired every one of the Project office. 

The Project held a five-day training for village healthcare workers in September. Eight healthcare workers and all of the project staff attended the training. Staff and healthcare workers spent 3 days in Luding for on-site training and 2 days in Xide for training in childhood malnutrition, and health and hygiene education. Luding healthcare workers were divided into small groups so that Project staff could give individual instruction. Healthcare workers performed sterile operations, treated ulcers, infections and callosity. Project staff observed the healthcare workers in order to review their skills, give feedback and additional training as needed.

During the training on health and hygiene education, and childhood malnutrition, staff encouraged healthcare workers to discover the problems and issues on their own. They then worked with the Project staff to find solutions. This participatory approach keeps healthcare workers engaged and motivated. The trainees were also given the chance to observe flies, and parasites under a microscope to better understand why hygiene is important for everyone, and how germs can harm people. They also have a better understanding of the problems caused by malnutrition and how a balanced nutritious diet will strengthen their bodies.

The toilets for the Five-Guaranteed Households in Luding were designed and built by the local government, unfortunately the design was defective and the toilets became badly clogged creating serious hygiene and environmental issues.  In addition the design of the toilet was unsuitable in view of the disabilities suffered by the PALS.   

With generous support from The Henley Group and Mr. Jonathan Van Smit, the toilets were redesigned and refurbished in December, 2012.  The toilets now have anti-slip tiles, a safety rail and are equipped with flushing water and running tap water.  The households elected a person to be in charge of the cleaning and management of the toilet.   

“I was born in 1931 in a village near Kang Le (the leprosy rehab village where Liu lives now).  I have one sister and three brothers. Children were not able to go to school in those days.  My eldest brother worked in the landlord’s home to support the family.  My mother passed away when I was five years old.  I had too many siblings.  My father could not afford to feed so many mouths so I was sent away to live with another family.  Life with my adoptive family was difficult.  They were not kind and I rarely had a full meal.  I ran away and lived in the nearby graveyard without shelter, eating scraps and begging for food. I lived like this for two years.  Eventually my father found out and took me back.”

“Child brides were common in those days and I was promised to the son of another family.  I was sent to live with this family and given the task of taking care of their cattle.  I was well treated by my husband’s family.  With a contented smile Liu reminisced, “I have spent my entire life with my old companion since my childhood.  We love each other and have never argued.  We were officially married when I reached the age of 18.  An old lady whose zodiac was compatible with mine came to comb my hair.  My family offered a cabinet and a quilt for my dowry.  Relatives and friends from the village were invited to a simple banquet.”  

Liu joined the Communist Youth League in 1951 and was admitted to the Communist Party 3 years later.  She became one of the officials in the Village and Township Government.  As she talked, we could sense her pride in the early stages of her career.  Her good fortune did not last long though; she developed the symptoms of leprosy.  Everyone in the family believed it was because she had ‘too much dampness’ in her body from living in the graveyard.  At first they ignored the symptoms.  When Liu’s health did not improve, her friend recommended she have a check-up in the hospital.  It was then that she was diagnosed with leprosy.  Liu was sent to the leprosy rehab village in 1957.  She was one of the lucky ones, she did not have to spend her life in solitude; her husband decided to move to the leprosy village with her.  They left their three children to be taken care by their Grandparents.       

Life was tough in the 1960s; the Government was promoting self-reliance.  They had a slogan “Leprosy is not scary and it is curable.” The village began to develop, and many model laborers were sent to the village to visit and study. Despite this people continued to be afraid of people with leprosy.  Though the PALS were given ration coupons by the government it was difficult to for them to buy anything.  Outsiders would often sanitize the coupons before accepting them.

Liu recounted to us that during that time, “My foot was punctured by something sharp while working in the field.  I did not pay much attention to it.  Between the heavy workload in the fields and my position as the deputy village head, I had too much work to do.  Over the years my wound deteriorated and became a chronic ulcer.”  She stressed, however, that all 12 families in the village who married, after they fully recovered from leprosy, had children, and the second generation was born healthy. 

Liu speaks with pride about her children. Her youngest son is now a teacher and visits her very often; he also brought her to the best hospital in the area the last time she was sick.  He gave her more than one thousand Yuan to buy Chinese herbs to restore the health.  The day before we arrived, he called Liu to ask her whether she had finished the medicine, saying he would bring more during his next visit.  Liu seldom sees her daughter who married and moved away from the area.  Liu also told us that her eldest grandson is getting married soon and invited her to the wedding in her old hometown.  Sadly, she will not be able to share the happiness with him as the ulcers in her feet make traveling any distance very difficult.

When asked about her life now, Liu was excited to tell us about the development of the village and the installation of power cables. Everything is so different nowadays.  People outside the village show concern for us and as a result, the villagers’ mood is better.  Liu is looking forward to spending her remaining years watching how the world develops.