2 stone, 13 smiles, 100 days

2 Stone, 13 smiles, 100 days

I am doing a sponsored 100 day challenge to lose 2 stone weight for the following cause...

I’ve been thinking over the past couple of weeks that I don’t want to just endure this Lockdown, but instead I want to do something positive.

During this Lockdown, I’ve been reflecting back on some experiences I had on a mission trip to India, last October, with the David Ware Trust, (www.thedavidwaretrust.com).

We visited many places while there, including some orphanages, but one place in particular had a big effect on me.  This was the Shantigrammam Village outside Velorre, near Chennai. This is a community of 13 leprosy patients.  You could say, these 13 people lost their lives, as they knew them, when they got leprosy.  They lost their families and their place in society, just because they got this disease called Leprosy. 

What I noticed during our visit was that, even though their physical needs of shelter and food are met, there is nothing for them to do all day, only sit on a wall or walk around.

What would this Lockdown have been like if you could not walk outside?  or if you did not have the internet to have that zoom call with family or to chill in front of Netflix – just to escape everything!!??  At least we can look forward to getting back to normal in a while, going to meet our friends and reunite with our families once more; but these people have lost that permanently and will live out the rest of their days in this gated community.  Their families have shunned them, and society wants nothing to do with them.

During these unusual times, my mind is drawn back to the residents of Shantigrammam and I realise even more now, that they actually have been in Lockdown for most of their lives, with very little to help them pass their days. 

My heart is drawn to do something about this!!

THIS is the ‘something positive’ that I am going to do during my Lockdown and I’m asking for your help!

I have many ideas on how to help them –

1.       Build a pond with ducks for them to enjoy to look at

2.       Create a library with lots of books

3.       Two new TVs

4.       Build a nice outdoor seating area/ terrace are with comfortable chairs and some tables

5.       New sound system for their Church

6.       Occupational Therapist to visit once every fortnight

7.       Quarterly outing for the residents outside of the gated village

During our visit in October, we took the residents on a trip to a nearby park and gave them 7up and ice-cream.  For some of them, it was their 1st time outside Shantigrammam for 20 years.  It was an amazing experience to see the joy on their faces that day – I will never forget that feeling.

 
I have started a sponsored 100 day challenge to lose 2 stone weight, to raise funds to enrich the lives of these 13 leprosy patients.

These 13 people in Shantigrammam should not feel forgotten – would you be willing to help me show them that, by sponsoring my 100-day challenge please?

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2 STONE, 13 SMILES, 100 DAYS  -   CHALLENGE RESULTS TO DATE:

Start: 5th April 2020                   Starting Weight:    15 stones  10 lbs
Complete: 14th July 2020        Target Weight:   13 stones 10 lbs


Weightloss Record:

12.04.2020:  Week 1:  Total Weightloss = 2.8 lbs
19.04.2020:  Week 2:  Total Weightloss = 5.8 lbs    
26.04.2020:  Week 3:  Total Weightloss = 4.8 lbs       
03.05.2020:  Week 4:  Total Weightloss = 10.8 lbs  
10.05.2020:  Week 5:  Total Weightloss = 10.8 lbs  
17.05.2020:  Week 6: Total Weightloss =     9 lbs   
24.05.2020:  Week 6: Total Weightloss =   11.6 lbs 
31.05.2020:  Week 7:  Total Weightloss =  14.02 lbs  
07.06.2020:  Week 8: Total Weightloss =  14.2 lbs
14.06.2020:  Week 9:  Total Weightloss =  14.4 lbs
21.06.2020:  Week 10:  Total Weightloss =  16.6 lbs
28.06.2020:  Week 11: Total Weightloss =  20.6 lbs
05.07.2020:  Week 12:  Total Weightloss = 23.8 lbs  (now 14 stone 1 lbs)