The 47-year-old, who has been rendered disabled from waist down in the April 25 earthquake, was already suffering from speech and hearing impairment. When he was airlifted to Kathmandu and admitted to the National Trauma Centre, he had no friends or relatives by his bedside. When doctors tried to communicate with Thapa, it was of no use.

“He would just lay there in his bed and cry. We even brought a person who knew sign language, but it didn’t work ,” said Bishwash Adhikari. Adhikari and his friends have been volunteering at the Trauma Centre, seeing to the needs  of the earthquake victims who are undergoing treatment there.

“Since he (Saila) could not speak or hear, it was very difficult for the doctors to comprehend what he was trying to tell. Nobody knew where his family was, whether they were okay,” Adhikari said.

After visiting several hospitals in the Capital, Thapa’s cousins Lok Bahadur and Asbin finally found him on the fifth floor of the Trauma Centre. “We were worried sick as we couldn’t find him anywhere,” said Lok Bahadur, who had helped rescue workers carry Thapa in a Nepal Army helicopter. “He was caught in a landslide triggered by the earthquake. We found him trapped between two rocks in a stream.”

According to Lok Bahadur,  Thapa used to sell firewood  and raise cattle in the village to look after his old parents. The earthquake destroyed his house and killed his cattle, but his parents survived the disaster. After seeing his cousins, Thapa has shown a sign of joy. “He smiles at every person who comes by his bedside,” Adhikari said.

Asked if he would like to return home to his parents, Thapa communicated through Lok Bahadur in a negative.

“There is no home to return to. I’d be happy if the government made the arrangement for me and my parents to stay here.”