After saving over 125,000 from illness, Patetti Nagesh (second from left) contracted a fatal form of malaria. Nagesh leaves behind a wife and three young children, ages 6, 8, and 10.

NALGONDA, India – For five years, Patteti Nagesh traveled fifteen days every month with an OBI medical relief team to medical camps throughout his home district of Nalgonda in southern India.

In that short time, he helped treat more than 125,000 patients for illnesses such as fevers, colds, parasites and malaria. He always went the extra mile, learning the local dialects so he could counsel families and teach good hygiene practices to adults and children.

“We never once heard Nagesh grumbling, complaining, or saying ‘I am too tired.’ He was always ready to help,” his OBI colleagues said.

But one night, Nagesh came back home from a medical camp with a fever. After saving so many from illness, he himself had contracted a fatal form of malaria. Just a few days later, he passed away. Nagesh leaves behind a wife and three young children, ages 6, 8, and 10.

“Malaria is a common cause of death in many of these villages,” said Kumar Periasamy, OBI’s director of international operations and programs, “but no one expected that malaria would eventually take the life of one of their own who had helped save so many.”

Help honor Nagesh’s life and work with a gift to the Nagesh Memorial Fund to help support medical missions worldwide.

Nagesh always went the extra mile, learning local dialects so he could counsel families and teach good hygiene practices to adults and children.

From a young age, Nagesh had felt called to care for the sick and hurting.

Growing up in a poor, rural village, he had seen how badly people suffered from a lack of basic health care. He heard children cry from the pain of intestinal parasites, witnessed men and women grow weak from lingering infections, and saw others fall sick and die from malaria, a common killer.

Most of these illnesses can be treated with basic medicines like antibiotics. But for many impoverished families living in remote villages in India, medical care is all but nonexistent. The nearest health clinic is often miles away—yet even for those who are able to reach a clinic, most cannot afford treatment.

Nagesh decided to dedicate his life to bringing medicine to those in need, and after earning his diploma in pharmacy, he worked as a pharmacist at a clinic. But he quickly noticed that only those who could afford it received the best medication. The poor were turned away.

Then, Nagesh heard about an opportunity to join the Operation Blessing India team. Finally, he was able to make his dream of providing free medicine a reality and, in the process, impact the lives of more than 125,000 patients—many of whom may not have survived without his care.

Though he is gone, Nagesh’s legacy of compassion remains. His love for the poor and tireless sacrifice made an indelible impact on the lives of thousands in desperate need of medical care.

“He is our great hero. He will never be forgotten,” were the words of his teammates in India.

To remember Nagesh and honor his life and work, the Nagesh Memorial Fund has been established, with the goal of raising $50,000 to support medical missions and reach even more communities in need. Help OBI continue Nagesh’s mission to bring lifesaving medical care to the poor by giving a gift in his honor.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI's ongoing medical relief efforts by making an online contribution to help those suffering from extreme poverty and sickness.

 

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