“SOLID PLANS ARE RECEIVED WELL”

SSANJANA GOYAL, 51 President, Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy, SOLAN

SANJANA GOYAL (RIGHT) AT THE MANAV MANDIR HOSPITAL IN SOLAN

A patient of muscular dystrophy, she set up Asia’s largest facility for others like her in Solan in 2016. anjana Goyal, a fashion designer who runs a boutique on Solan’s Hospital Road, needs help to even get up from her wheelchair. She suffers from muscular dystrophy, a disorder that worsens with time. Putting her limitations behind her, Goyal got together with her brothers (who suffer from the same condition) and friends in 1992 to plan an outreach for muscular dystrophy patients. The Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy that she established the same year started by holding camps for patients in Solan. So far, 25 camps have been held across the country. Last year, Goyal set up Manav Mandir, Asia’s largest muscular dystrophy hospital, in Solan. The 70-bed centre provides diagnostic, rehabilitation and research facilities. In 2004, she was honoured with the National Award for the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities by the President. “I have always believed that unless one is vocal about things, nothing moves,” she says about her struggle. “Don’t approach people for charity. Show them a solid plan and you will be surprised how receptive they will be.” Goyal aims to provide muscular dystrophy patients the best therapy so that they can manage their lives better. But encouraging their families to pursue the therapy itself is a tall task. “They don’t realise that regular physiotherapy helps arrest the wasting of muscles.”