FB Post Raises Rs 16 Lakh For Acid Attack Survivor

A Facebook post for a woman in need raised Rs 16.5 lakh in just two hours. Mabiya Mandal is an acid attack survivor who left her husband five years ago after he attacked her. After the attack, she was rushed to DY Patil Hospital in Nerul in Navi Mumbai. Her condition was such that she could barely communicate and lost her eyesight.

Her husband disappeared and has still not been found. The hospital treated her free of cost, but the doctors say that she still needs many more surgeries.

Karishma Mehta, founder of Facebook group, Humans of Bombay, found out about Mabiya, and posted a social media campaign for her on the page.

"The amount was collected in two hours and we had to discontinue the campaign after the overwhelming response," said Karishma.

Karishma’s group had collaborated with crowdfunding platform Ketto and an NGO called Make Love Not Scars that works with acid attack victims.

Doctors will use the funds to perform eyelid reconstruction on her eyes. Dr Suhas Abhyankar, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at DY Patil Hospital, says that once the eyelid reconstruction heals, he will give her cornea transplants.

Her vision is slight but she has no muscles as both her eyelids were burnt. However, while her corneas were damaged, her eyeballs were saved," he said.

Doctors will then reconstruct her hairline and forehead. Mandal has a young daughter who goes to school. The president of the hospital, Dr Vijay Patil, takes responsibility for the child’s education. The hospital even helped them move to a house in Nerul last year.

The surgeries will be spaced out over the next couple of months, since Mandal will heal slowly, say her doctors.

“She has had a number of surgeries already, but considering the severity of the attack, medically it has to progress slowly. In her case, the healing process is important and if the need be, the surgeries would have to be redone," Dr Abhyankar said.

Also Read: Soon, Disability Act To Cover Acid Attack Victims Too