KANNUR: At the age of nine, Jayamohan was bedridden with acute rheumatic fever. The smell of medicines haunted him throughout his childhood. He spent two years in bed with both his legs paralysed and then fought osteomyelitis for more than 12 years. He survived with the help of medicines and the unflinching care of his mother.
After 28 surgeries in 12 years at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, K S Jayamohan, 60, came back to life, but not without some crippling effects on his body. But the years he spent in the hospital bed changed him. The sufferings of people around him, which he saw from close quarters in the hospital, transformed him into a new person.
His mother S Kamalamma was always an inspiration to him.
Now, after 38 years of philanthropic activities, Jayamohan, managing trustee of HOPE, a charitable trust, smiles contented as he is able to lend a helping hand to thousands of people through his organisation. “Don’t hesitate to help a person in need,” he says.
HOPE comes to aid of 2L people
A disease, especially the one that stays with you for long, will change your outlook, says Jayamohan. That’s what happened to him. After coming out of hospital, he started helping people around him with the help of his friends and relatives. After his mother’s death on January 26, 1994, he formed the Kerala Patients Welfare Association along with his siblings K S Ambi Kumar and K S Suja and some of his friends. He was the chief coordinator of this organisation till 2004.
In 1996, Jayamohan was appointed assistant officer at the LIC Kanhangad branch. During his stint there, he got himself involved in many social issues like the waste management problem at the Kanhangad fish market. He successfully organised local residents and social workers against the health issues created by the market. The social acceptance he got then inspired him to form HOPE.
HOPE (Health Oriented Project Establishments) was formed at a meeting held at Our Lady of Sorrows Church auditorium at Pilathara on January 26, 2003. It started conducting free medical camps and awareness classes with the help of people from the region. The trust was officially registered on July 23, 2004.
In December 2004, HOPE distributed 125 wheelchairs to physically disabled people. Since then there was no looking back. A rehabilitation centre was started at Pilathara, where around 180 inmates with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, autism, muscular dystrophy, dementia, paraplegia etc are given free shelter and treatment.
Apart from this, HOPE is also conducting many philanthropic activities with the support of the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat, Kasargod PNPS Ayurveda Hospital and the Kasargod District TB Control Centre. HOPE has been able to provide help to around two lakh people through its many packages. It has conducted 39,509 ocular surgeries through its 1,313 free eye camps. It took up the treatment of 1,300 cancer patients who had no means to treat the disease.
Apart from this, HOPE has also lent a helping hand to around 10,000 cancer patients indirectly and arranged 260 bypass surgeries for financially weak people. So far, it has distributed around 40,000 wheelchairs to physically challenged people.
“These days, we also concentrate on giving good education to the needy and those who suffer from physical and mental disabilities”, says Jayamohan. HOPE village, which will provide houses to the differently abled, is another project Jayamohan is working on. “I just cannot forget the days I spent in hospital during my childhood. I know how people suffer under such conditions”, says Jayamohan.