22-year-old Manisha Sunar lives in Bardiya with her husband, and three-year-old daughter. As a housewife and a farm worker in her village, daily activities kept her occupied for most of the time. However, on fine April Tuesday, when Sunar left to collect red mud in the hills of Teprirampur to paint her house with, a scrape of red mud was all it took to bury her life with spinal cord injury.

After the accident, the villagers and her family members rushed her to Nepalgunj Medical College, where she realized that her lumbar spine had been fractured. Sunar was sent to TUTH, Kathmandu for surgical management of her injury. She was then referred to SIRC for comprehensive rehabilitation.

At SIRC, Sunar made significant progress in therapy sessions and vocational training, both helping her to regain independence. Every morning, one could see Sunar walk-ing in the parallel bars with her standing frame, shyly smiling with every little step she took. In the daytime, she dedicated most her time to learn tailoring from voca-tional trainers. With continuous support from her caring sister and SIRC staff, she spent five months at SIRC, trying her best to recover.

This month, Manisha left home, determined to start a tailoring business to help fund the education of her daughter. Her efforts and sincerity are truly inspirational. May our good wishes lie with her in every step she takes.