Hyderabad: The pain and trauma of a burn victim is one of the most crippling things in the world. For Neehari, the pain of being 55% burnt, and the trauma of losing the child she was carrying, besides her face and identity, seemed to be the end of everything. She had expected to succumb to the burns and was unprepared for life after it.
During her treatment, she came across Dr. Hari Krishnan, a plastic surgeon, who decided to give Neehari nothing but a simple direction towards her life ahead. He employed her at his clinic as a receptionist against the opinion of many who believed that the face of a burn survivor at the reception would discourage others who wish to opt for plastic surgery.
Neehari Mandal would have just remained a burn victim if one small act had not turned her into a survivor. Helping people who were undergoing a similar pain and trauma as she had, Neehari realized that she could ease the mental trauma such patients face due to the loss of their entire identity within moments. She longed to go a step further and help them all-access treatment as well.
She started the Burn Survivor Mission Saviour organisation (BSMS) to provide free treatment and surgeries to burn survivors and help them cope with their losses. Today, the organization has provided free surgeries to over 70 burn victims.
Now she wants to organize a camp to reach out to more people who need surgeries but cannot access it. Neehari realized the potential of online crowdfunding and started a fundraising campaign on Milaap, South Asia’s largest online crowdfunding platform.
You can read more about the story by visiting the fundraiser page hyperlinked here.