Social media may be considered by many to be a modern-day villain, but there's no denying that it can work to advantage sometimes. For a 13-year-old girl from Assam, Facebook, quite literally, helped save her life
Social media may be considered by many to be a modern-day villain, but there's no denying that it can work to advantage sometimes. For a 13-year-old girl from Assam, Facebook, quite literally, helped save her life.
Sometime at the beginning of November, Sunali Dhan had been bitten by an unknown snake and was treated at Dibrugarh Medical College in Assam. She was discharged after three days, but suddenly the area around the bite had started developing gangrene. The girl needed urgent surgery on her leg, but her family had no money.
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The recovering girl with her mother
A member of the group, Indian Snakes, which has a Facebook page, immediately uploaded a plea, which said, "We need Rs 10,000 to save Sunali Dhan's leg and possibly her life. She urgently needs advanced treatment for a deadly snakebite. We need to raise the money in the next 24 hours."
In Mumbai, Lynnet (Vaishali) Chawan, a snake rescuer and animal welfare activist, based in Borivli, came across the post on November 6. Chawan has been actively rescuing snakes for over five years now and also works with stray dogs and cats. Without thinking twice, Chawan immediately transferred the entire amount.
Speaking to mid-day Chawan said, "Being a snake rescuer, I am well aware of the complications following a snake bite. This was a matter of life and death of a 13-year-old. I immediately contacted the NGO representative and transferred the amount because I know the really good work that Indian Snakes have been doing in the field of snake conservation."
The facebook post
After the donations reached the NGO, they posted a message saying, "Thanks to Lynette D'Souza, within 10 minutes of putting up our appeal, we've already got a pledge for the whole amount needed. Words cannot express Indian Snakes' gratitude for saving Sunali's whole future." The girl was admitted for surgery at 8.30 pm the same day and is now recovering well.
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