In this new age, social media platforms have been criticised for the harm they are bringing upon our society. How they are able to control the thought process, how they are leading many people to depression and anxiety, disturbed sleep patterns and general addiction. So much so that in many countries now exist social media de-addiction centres.  Yet, the fact remains that social media like everything else is just a tool, which can be used as well as abused. The following story of Pankaj is a testimony to the fact that when used judiciously, social media can act as a bridge across thousands of kilometers and provide hope to people in distress.   

From the village of Lakri, Rohtas district, Bihar state, Pankaj was growing up like everyone else of age.

" I had just got down from the bus after buying provisions for my small store I was running, when I noticed commotion on the road. As I neared, people came running to me to tell me that it was my own son who had met with an accident. A two wheeler had rammed into my two-year-old Pankaj and his left leg was badly damaged. It felt like the whole thing was a nightmare. I came to know that Pankaj's mother had gone to a local temple. When Pankaj came to know about it, he ran to catch up with her and ran across a local road when he met with the accident," Pankaj's father, Dyani Ram said. 

The distraught parents took little Pankaj to the local hospital where the doctors put some dressing on the wound and sent the child home.

" After a few months, we started noticing that Pankaj's left leg was getting swollen bit by bit," Dyani Ram said. The parents' initial reaction was that it would go away on its own. But it did not, and kept growing. The alarmed parents took the boy to a hospital in Patna, but the doctors there gave some medicines and told the parents that they could do little else about the condition of the child. 

As the boy grew up, the swelling also kept growing. Things came to such a pass that Pankaj started losing the use of his left leg and it was also extremely painful. 

" I run a small provisional store and our income is only around Rs. 10,000 a month.  Some people told us about some hospitals in Delhi and some other places, but we could do little." the father said. 

Though bogged down by his left leg, the ailment could not fetter Pankaj in any way. And there was a new friend that opened Pankaj to a whole new world.  The smart phone.  

At 21 years, Pankaj who had taken up a marketing job, got his smart phone and was determined to overcome his disability with the information gleaned from the bright screen. 

" I knew there would be a way out and I was determined to go to any lengths, literally, to get my left leg treated. Being physically challenged I get a free pass in the Indian Railways and so, expenditure for travel was not a problem, " Pankaj said. But information about where to go and which institute to visit was crucial and this was readily supplied by Pankaj's smart phone.  

"My smart phone was a great boon for me. I created a group on social media and one group I created now has around 5,500 members. This group deals mainly with people with disabilities. So whatever question I had was answered by my friends on WhatsApp to whatever extent they knew. And when I came across new information I would share it with people on the group. So it was a constant dialogue going on among the members, " he said. 

One day Pankaj decided that he would explore all the options available in the country. Taking leave from his job and based on the information received from the social media group Pankaj first visited some government hospitals in Delhi. There some touts told him that the cost of treatment would be around Rs. 6 lakhs ( $8600). He was not happy with the fact that touts were involved and also that the cost was so steep. He then followed the advice of one of the group members to visit Jaipur in Rajasthan. One hospital in that city told him that his leg may have to be cut off. "Thinking about that solution revolted me," he said. "I later visited another centre in Udaipur where they told me something similar. I was told that after amputation, an artificial limb could be put in place. I was getting convinced about it and decided that if it would be amputation, it would be better to have it done in my hometown. Later I could come back to Jaipur or Udaipur for an artificial limb,"  he said. 

While travelling on the train from Udaipur to Bhopal, Pankaj happened to come across a video on one of the social media platforms which told him about the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram. It talked about how the hospital was started by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and how the hospital provided care completely free of charge to all. 

"I was initially surprised, but wanted to check it out myself. So I cut short my journey to my hometown half way and from Bhopal, I took a train to Dharmavaram and from there reached SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram, " Pankaj said. 

Pankaj was ecstatic when he was told by the surgeons at SSSIHMS that there was no need to amputate the limb and that surgery could help him to walk normally again. According to Senior Consultant of Plastic Surgery Department, Dr. Gurumurthy, the patient had a scar on the entire left leg and two blocks of lymphedema on the leg. The foot had also become short. 

The whole lymphedema material was excised with some local flaps. Skin grafting was also done to make the wound heal. Pankaj lost extra weight on the limb and now he can walk more comfortably.   

After the surgery was finished, Pankaj a few weeks recovering before he was discharged.

"What should I say about the hospital and the treatment! I was determined to get over this ailment, but after facing disappointment several times, I had almost given up on life and was about to go in for amputation. I could not do ordinary things that people of my age would easily do. What made my suffering worse was the suffering of my parents because of me. Therefore, whenever I would go out hunting for treatment I would not tell them the whole truth, lest they feel sad for me. But now I feel like I am living again," Pankaj said. 

"I have already shared this information on the social media group so that anybody requiring this kind of treatment could visit Baba's hospital for treatment," Pankaj said.