Umesh Khati, 26, of Benubaja, Kankai Municipality-5, Jhapa, used to do house keeping at the Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Last Chaitra 2 became the most painful day of his life. The previous day, he developed a fever that shook his body. Thinking that he had a fever due to the fatigue of 'double duty', he took paracetamol without paying much attention and returned to work.

The next morning, he entered the bathroom for his daily routine and collapsed there. Coincidentally, a security guard from the company saw him and rescued him. 'I remember putting on my shirt after getting up from the bathroom,' Umesh said. 'After that, I felt difficulty breathing and was admitted to the hospital.' After reaching the hospital, he sent a 'voice message' to his wife Tirtha informing her that he was sick.

While talking to his family from his bed at Life Care Hospital in Abu Dhabi, he collapsed again. After that, the family became increasingly worried as they could not contact him. For about a week, the family was completely unaware of his condition. Even after continuously contacting the company, they were informed that the treatment was ongoing, but the family remained restless as they did not know the real situation.

Umesh was suffering from a strange disease called 'dry gangrene'. According to doctors, this disease causes blood circulation to stop in any part of the body. This disease, which is considered very dangerous due to a serious 'bacterial' infection, can even lead to death if not treated on time.

Umesh was saved by receiving timely treatment. After being rescued from the bathroom and taken to the hospital, he did not regain consciousness for a long time. The doctors almost 'loved' him. His relative, brother Vivek Khati, who works in Dubai, rushed to the hospital to see him. Seeing his brother on a ventilator, Vivek was also disappointed. Suddenly, Umesh's body moved slightly. When he saw the fingers of his right hand twitching, Vivek called the doctor. Then the medical team proceeded with further treatment. 'If Vivek Bhai had not known, I would not be alive now,' Umesh said. 'I have got a second life.' Umesh regained consciousness on the 13th day after the treatment started. 'Both his hands and feet were turning black and stone-like,' Umesh said. 'It was unbearable pain.'

Umesh Khati, who had reached Dubai with the dream of making a future, lost both his hands and feet due to a rare disease. His family is in deep crisis. The hospital doctors had sought the family's consent to amputate both his hands and feet, which were affected by gangrene, immediately. Umesh was in double pain due to the doctor's warning that if there was any delay, the infection could spread further and even his life could be at risk. As the pain from the wound became unbearable, he decided to undergo surgery anyway. However, the treatment in Abu Dhabi was very expensive. In the UAE, every worker has mandatory health insurance. However, the employer insisted on sending him to Nepal without treatment in the UAE. Finally, as per the family's advice, the company supported his brother Vivek and sent him to Nepal. 'We brought him here to get treatment in our own country, even if we had to amputate his limbs,' said his father Tek Bahadur Khati. 'We also made a plan to take him to India for treatment to see if it was possible to treat him without amputating his limbs.' However, after the doctors at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital indicated that the situation could become more complicated if he delayed, the family finally got ready for the surgery. Since he could not raise even 500,000 rupees by selling all the cows, buffaloes, chickens, and goats he kept at home to raise the money for the surgery, Umesh underwent surgery on 4 Baisakh after Mankari donated some money.

Umesh, who was brought home after both his arms and legs were amputated, has been bedridden for months. He is deeply worried about losing his hands and feet at once. When he remembers the pain of the wound, he breathes a sigh of relief that he was able to survive. ‘When the faces of his elderly mother, young daughter, and wife come before his eyes, now he is worried about their future,’ he says.

Umesh, who comes from a poor Dalit family, was unable to study beyond grade 8 due to financial reasons. Despite his desire to study, the family’s poor condition pushed him towards labor from a young age. Being the only son in the family, a huge responsibility fell on his young shoulders. In 2019, before he turned 20, he went to Qatar for foreign employment for the first time. Ignoring the risk of the Covid pandemic, he worked day and night in the Gulf to support his family. He remembers being on duty at the stadium during the 2022 World Cup. He returned home immediately after the World Cup. After living in Qatar for about 4 years, he could not do anything except support his family.

After returning from Qatar, Umesh married Tirthakumari Lakandri of Udayapur. After meeting on Facebook, love blossomed into marriage. After spending one and a half years with his family after marriage, he flew to Abu Dhabi on November 11, 2081. Leaving his pregnant wife and elderly mother at home, he went abroad for a second time with the dream of repairing the leaking roof and providing for the household expenses. He, who loves his family deeply, is confused after returning home disabled. ‘He never wanted his family to suffer,’ Tirtha’s eyes welled up, ‘Now, seeing him in this state makes me cry.’