Rasool's Progress

Recently someone asked me about how Rasool is doing now.

I haven't done a good job of keeping this blog updated, but I have shared the events of his story on facebook. If you haven't yet "liked" our facebook page (http://facebook.com/schindia),  consider doing so, because I post so many more updates there for the sake of time.

Rasool, a man about 30 years of age, was brought to us in February 2011 via the Disabled Welfare department by a poor woman, a sweeper at a college. She had found him six months prior sitting in a catatonic state, cross-legged in front of a temple, unable to feed himself, get to a bathroom, or respond verbally or otherwise to anyone who talked to him. No one knew who he was or where he'd come from. Her heart went out to him and she fed him for several months. Since the college where she lived and worked would not let her bring him on campus to care for him and she knew he needed more care than she could provide, she asked her educated son to help her find a place for Rasool. Her son emailed me, and I said we'd be willing to take in Rasool.

On the day we received him, representatives from the newspaper were there and wanted to photograph him for a missing-person story. Just a day or two after the story appeared in the paper, Rasool's relatives came to identify him. Turns out he is a father of two and a former military man who lost his lower leg in a train accident. He had left home because of an extended-family argument and had been missing for two years.

Because he was in such an invalid state, though, neither his wife nor his mother wanted to take him home with them, instead signing over medical decision-making rights to us. His wife has come now and then to work on getting his military benefits sent to her (of which she has never offered us anything for his care).

 

 

 

We took him to Hyderabad to see a psychiatrist I really respect. He ran some tests, like the EEG above, and then recommended a series of ECT (shock) treatments under general anesthesia.

I took some time to research, soul-search, and pray, and in the meantime we got him on antidepressants and had a prosthetic leg made for him. His spirits seemed to lift as soon as he got his leg.

Finally, in the spring, I decided to get him admitted and have the ECT treatments done for him. The treatments began working right away--he started to get up to go to the bathroom and no longer needed to wear diapers. He also began feeding himself.

After Rasool had undergone less than half the ECT treatments, on Easter morning I took a shift with him so that his caregiver could go to church. Someone from the kitchen came and brought him breakfast. I asked Rasool, "Aren't you going to eat your breakfast?" He said, "You can have it, madam." He continued to talk politely to me all morning, telling me he didn't wish to eat if I had nothing to eat. (I finally ordered myself a plate of breakfast just so he'd eat his own.)  Since that breakthrough, he has been communicating verbally (and always politely) whenever addressed. He isn't one to initiate conversation, but will answer questions he is asked.

Rasool was discharged on antidepressants and he returned to Ongole. He stays with our young men (who used to live at Angel Home, but have been in town at Victory since their house parents moved away a year ago). Besides the schoolboys, Rasool's the only verbal or literate person in that room. He's so cooperative, though--going along with them to class, doing whatever the others are doing (bumping a volleyball, using Montessori items, making newspaper envelopes...) and never complaining. We enrolled several of our older boys and Rasool in a local vocational training program, but pulled them out when, after a few months, they hadn't taught the boys anything but instead had sat them down and had them trace Telugu letters (which is far below Rasool's level and above our other young men's).

Rasool's on the far right in this photo

Once in awhile Rasool looks depressed. I have asked him if he would like a job with us as either a watchman or an office assistant, but he tells me he doesn't feel like there's anything he can do well. Theresa's philosophy (and I think she's right) is that he's not yet psychologically ready to handle the responsibility of adult life, and he feels safe and comfortable having his needs looked after. She said we should give him some time to just be, before we pressure him to rejoin the world of the doers. So we do let him be. And he's pretty undemanding, takes care of himself, is good to the children... He fits in well and is fairly content. He's also gained weight and is in good health. Rasool has expressed often that he does not wish to leave and return to his family, and we've told him he's welcome to stay as long as he'd like.

This week his wife returned with a letter from the District Collector (one of the highest government officials in the area). She had petitioned to take him home and had a letter from them requesting that we hand Rasool over. Rasool has expressed strongly that he's not willing to go with them, so we told the relatives it wasn't possible to take him at this time. I talked to his psychiatrist about what rights Rasool has vs. those of his family, and what would be the best situation for his mental health. He said that Rasool can't be coerced to leave with relatives without a court order. I'm trying to request that we be allowed to take him back to Hyderabad for an evaluation alone with his psychiatrist so that he can express his opinions without either us or his family present, and the psychiatrist can determine whether he is competent to decide these things for himself. (I'm pretty sure he'll decide that Rasool's capable.)  [Psychiatrist says that the evaluation would need to be done by a government psychiatrist of a certain rank, so I guess we may just have to request that the government get him evaluated by the appropriate doctor.]

My personal feeling is that if he were to stay another six months, he may be ready to begin looking for a job, and within a year or eighteen months could  be ready to leave and support himself--and even to rejoin his family, not as a dependant but as the head of the household.

Anyway, after getting him evaluated, I think our next step would be to request a meeting with all parties concerned (Rasool, his family, reps from SCH,  and the government Disabled Welfare department), presenting his psychiatrist's recommendation letter, so that a decision can be made that is most respectful of his wishes, rights, and best interests. Of course, we could be denied this meeting and simply forced to hand him over. Please pray with us that justice would be done for Rasool and that the case would not be overly stressful for him.