Deepak (16) has been living with 85 per cent physical and 75 per cent intellectual disability since birth due to cerebral palsy. He has undergone a remarkable transformation at the Angel Disability and Orphanage Home (ADOH), an NGO based at Bhagwal village in Jawali subdivision of Kangra district. Once bedridden and suffering from painful bedsores, Deepak can now walk without support after nearly one and a half years of treatment, therapy and dedicated care. The ADOH has emerged as a ray of hope for destitute and differently-abled children of the region and beyond.
Deepak’s father Amit Chittlangia of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan brought him to the NGO after exhausting all treatment options at several hospitals and almost losing the hope of recovery. Through advanced physiotherapy and acupressure therapy at the ADOH, Deepak gradually began regaining mobility. Initially, he could move with the help of a walker or a walking stick but he has now started walking independently.
ADOH founder Alka Sharma says that the orphanage home was established in Fatehpur in September 2023, before being shifted to Bhagwal village in Jawali in August 2024.
She credited philanthropists and the NGO’s team of experts with helping in expanding services for differently abled children and other patients. She said that the ADOH at present was treating 40 differently-abled patients, most of them children, including eight from other states. Eight of the inmates avail of hostel facilities, wherein free shelter, food and healthcare are provided.
Alka expresses satisfaction over Deepak’s recovery and says that specialists at the orphanage home will now focus on improving his speech through speech therapy. “When he was brought here, he was confined to bed and suffering from severe bedsores. After treatment, he slowly began moving with support and is now attempting to walk on his own. Earlier, he could not even feed himself but today he eats with his own hands,” she adds.
Deepak’s father, who works for a private company in Gurugram, termed the NGO’s support as life-changing. He says that after the death of his wife in 2015 and the loss of his daughter during the Covid lockdown, it became extremely difficult for him to take care for his son alone. “I learnt about this NGO through social media and contacted its founder in October 2024. Alka Sharma agreed to take care of my son without demanding any fixed charges. I continue to support the organisation financially in its noble work,” he adds.
He says that he remains in regular contact with his ‘recovering’ son through WhatsApp video calls (at least twice a week) and is deeply grateful to the ADOH for providing treatment and shelter to his son, who has gradually begun gaining confidence and independence.