PUNJAB: It was nine years ago that Lupinder Kumar’s wife was diagnosed with ITP immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a disorder that can lead to easy or excessive bruising and bleeding.
The repeated trips to hospital and all the troubles that the medical condition brought made the couple change the way they lived.
Kumar, currently working as sub-divisional soil conversation officer at Jalandhar, took to helping others in whatever way he could, hoping that the blessings he earns will help his family sail through every crisis. And this is how the script of life exactly played out for 46-year-old Kumar.
There are at least two dozen poor patients whose lives were saved by his intervention as he arranged money for their surgeries.
Of the 20 surgeries that he sponsored, nine were of children between two and six years of age who had congenital heart disease.
“These surgeries were done in Delhi, with each operation costing Rs 2-3 lakh which I arranged through Rotary Club. For the other surgeries of gall bladder and kidney stones, hernia etc., a few doctors voluntary helped me as the patients, mostly daily wagers, couldn’t afford the cost,” Kumar says.
The blessing of the poor patients did bring about a positive change in the life of Kumar and his wife Daljit Kaur, a school teacher.
“My wife was hospitalised six times as her platelets used to fall to as low as 3,000 at times. But she kept fighting and now she is fine. This made us realise that your good deeds bring you people’s good wishes,” said the SDO.
Kumar subsequently broadened the horizon of his social service. He started giving free career counselling to poor students which helped 24 youngsters get government jobs. He has been distributing books and bags to the needy.
Tajinder Singh Saini, principal of Government Senior Secondary School at Birbansian Jajjar Dhinsa in Jalandhar, said “From installing an RO to construction of mid-day meal shed, he has done a lot of work in my school.”
Kumar motivated his batchmates to contribute money for a corpus fund of Rs 10 lakh and from the annual interest, Rs 60,000 per year is given as grant to deserving students.