National Games gold medallist suffering from mysterious disease finally receives government aid

Gohela Boro, was brought up in a humble family in Kokrajhar district​ in Assam. Her parents, who worked as daily wagers, earned enough to just about earn two meals a day for themselves and their eight children. Gohela, though, battled the odds and brought glory to her family by going on to become a national level archer.

But just as she was preparing to make her international debut, she was trapped by a mysterious disease. For over a year now, Gohela has been fighting for her life without any proper medical treatment due to her family's economic background.

The 20-year-old, who started her archery career in 2008 and has a National Games gold in her tally of 77 medals, was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Anti Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies. The rare disease has had a severe effect on her body and causes her feet to bleed constantly.

Gohela initially received treatment from Government Medical College and Hospital after Discovery Club, an NGO in Assam, got to know about her illness. The authorities then advised her to carry forward her treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. Financial constraints, however, stopped her from getting the required aid.

A strong social media campaign finally brought respite for the youngster as the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India made arrangements for her treatment at AIIMS a few days ago. Credit for this must also be given to the Archery Association of Assam, who convinced the Assam Chief Minister and the Sports Ministry to take action.

Here's Gohela's heartbreaking story:

Gohela Boro from #Assam, an archer with 72 medals suffers from a medical condition but has not received any help from the government. Why? pic.twitter.com/JagDSIKLAE

— WION (@WIONews) April 11, 2017