“I suffered not once, but twice from TB. At one point I lost all hope”, said Mrinmoy.

Mrinmoy Hazra was first diagnosed with the disease, responsible for 10% of all deaths in India, in 2015. At that time he was working as a press photographer earning around 10,000 rupees per month. But after the TB diagnosis his health deteriorated and he had to stop work. Mrinmoy came to Calcutta Rescue in 2015 when he could not afford the medicines.

The CR team at Urban DOTS cared for him and the following year he was cured. But his happiness did not last very long when his symptoms returned in 2017. 

This time his TB was more dangerous because the usual medicines failed to cure him. 

“I was heartbroken.  I thought I was cured. But just in a matter of a year I fell sick with the same disease again,” Mrinmoy said.

Mrinmoy lives with his wife and two kids. All of them were dependent on him. “My kids were in school and I wasn’t financially able to help them with their studies.”  With no monetary help from anyone, Mrinmoy’s wife started tutoring neighbouring children for a little income. 

“I had lost all hope and was ready to die. I stopped going to doctors and taking medicines” said Mrinmoy. But his family motivated him to restart treatment at Calcutta Rescue which provided him with regular motivation and counselling as well as the powerful drugs necessary to beat drug-resistant TB.

It has been a long road but by the end of last year, Mrinmoy was completely cured. 

“I thank Calcutta Rescue for continuously staying by my side during these tumultuous years. They gave me mental strength and helped me take medicine. Thanks to them I am now cured. Now I want to start  work again and take care of my family.”