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When an earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, Maya Gurung...
Reportage by Getty Images TumblrMaya Gurung, who lost her leg in last year's Nepal earthquake. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images Reportage for CNN)
Maya Gurung, who lost her leg in last year's Nepal earthquake. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images Reportage for CNN)
When an earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, Maya Gurung was on her way to graze cows in Kashi Gaon, the village where she lived in the county’s mountainous Gorkha District. The rumbling earth sent a cascade of boulders and debris down the hillside. Unable to dodge the rocks, Maya’s left foot and lower leg were crushed and required amputation.
Weeks later, a good samaritan from Kathmandu had come to the Gorkha District with supplies. Jwalant Gurung, who shares Maya’s surname but is unrelated, is a well-to-do tour company operator and experienced trekker, and he walked for two days to bring tarps, food and medicine to the area’s rural villages. That was when a second, massive earthquake struck. In the ensuing chaos, Jwalant noticed a young girl, missing her left leg, being carried by her brothers.
Jwalant wanted to help.
On CNN, Reporter Moni Basu tells the story of how Maya’s life was changed by the loss of her leg, and changed again when she met Jwalant. Photos by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images Reportage for CNN.
