Doctor couple donates insulin pump to 13-year-old girl

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 22

Life has been harsh for 13-year-old Nisha (name changed). She lost her father when she was just two-year-old and last year, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Her father, a soldier with the 8th Dogra Battalion, sustained serious wounds in the Kargil War and died in 2010. “We were still struggling to deal with the death of her father when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes,” said Nisha’s mother. “It was distressing for all of us. We had to give her insulin injections five times a day, which was very painful for her.”

In a relief, a doctor couple of the IGMC, Shimla, Dr Jitender Mokta and Dr Kiran Mokta donated an insulin pump worth Rs 2 lakh to Nisha. “The insulin pump makes the life of a diabetic patient much easier,” said Dr Mokta. “The risk of kidney damage is high and frequent hospitalisation is common for diabetic patients. With the proper use of the pump, hospitalisation is almost nil and patients can lead almost a normal life,” said the doctor.

He suggested that the government should subsidise the cost so that more people could use it. On receiving the pump, Nisha had one question – could she play badminton now without any risk to her health? To her joy, the answer was “yes”.