Wishing Herman A Speedy Recovery.

Herman In the Hospital 

 

This blog comes after a long time. I am writing this with a lot of mixed feelings. This morning, I woke up to a message from Valentin a good friend from Belgium who has accompanied Dr Herman Kuppers on several occasions to India. The message stated that, Herman was diagnosed with Fisher Miller Syndrome. A rare type of viral infection that makes a person lose control of his muscles and sight. Herman was now able to retain food in his stomach and could not walk any more. 

To us Herman has been a godfather and an enabler. Since 1999 her come come to India atleast twice a year. As a doctor by profession he looked at almost everything disgnostically, agnostically and disectionally. On one of his journeys with us he laid eyes on the poor and suffering children in Bhubaneshwar the images of these children stuck to his head. For next 20 years till COVID stopped all the travels he continued to visit us and his pet projects in India. 

 Being a professor of anatomy he teamed up with Valentin and came up with simple solutions for complex orthopedic problems. His magic words were, eat right, stay active and maintain a happy life. True to his words, he was very active during his service and became twice as active when he retired. He founded Compani a Bakery and Bistro which provided inclusive employment to the physically and mentally challenged in his home town of Houthalen, Belgium. He continued to come to India as he expanded to work in the slums and impoverished neighbourhoods of Bhubaneshwar through Ruchika and in the very poor localities of Bhavana in New Delhi with the help of Tara Projects. When he came to Chennai he would spend a lot of time in the refugee camps though OfERR and with the domestic workers thought the National Domestic Workers Movement that was started by Sr Jean Devos. 

Over a period of nearly three decades he has been instrumental in touching the lives of hundreds of people. He gave hope to those who thought it would never be possible to walk. Rachina a tiny girl who was about 5 years old. Her parents had given up on her as she had cerebral palsy her parents came from a a very poor community in Bhubaneshwar. When Herman walked into the house there was hardly any place to sit. As she laid down on her bed, he examined her for a good 40 minutes. He then came up with a simple exercise regimen. He visited her every time the came to India as was the case with any patient. He kept meticulous records of every patient back in Belgium and updated her file. With the passage of time, she began to walk with a specially designed shoes. She was enrolled in school and went on to complete college. 

 Inclusion was his key word. He spoke about inclusive approach when it came to the disability be it social or physical. He always asked the question why? said if yes why not? In our numerous interactions we have discussed, debated and argued on so many topics that range from creationism to growing chickens. Our conversations were filled with humour, politics and perspective for social change. 

 Currently He is in the hospital in Hasselt, Belgium. I really wish him a speedy recovery. I want Berte to be strong and wait for his recovery.