Adelino Quelo

Making our way down that steep and rocky hill with all our camera equipment for about 1.5-2km, we started complaining a little and wondering if the end was ever near.

Of course there was nothing really wrong with us except that we were tired.We - consisted of our Associated Press reporting team (TV camera man, Reporter, Fixer, Driver, and Medical Officer and I) were tired from driving off-road for about 3-hrs through mountains and across rivers to what we called the end of the earth, Melalat. A sub-district once believed to be a leprosy colony in the Oecusse enclave.

We were enroute to see one of the leprosy patients and we didn't know what to expect. Over the past couple of days, we had seen people with stubs for fingers and a man which had toes bitten off by rats and I thought it would be another one of these cases. When we reached the bottom of the mountain, we were told to climb over some fences made out of tree trunks and branches until we reached a teepee-shaped hut.

"Ohm Ohm!" I gathered our fixer was calling out to someone elderly.Instead of seeing a figure walk out, there was silence for a minute and then later, we heard shuffling but still saw nothing. A few minutes later a frail little man, folded waist down started crawling out of the hut.His name is Adelino Quelo.He may look frail and weak but his heart is strong. He was a victim of leprosy and was one of the worst cases left in Oecusse enclave.

He can't stand up or help himself in the bathroom. He had lost all his digits to leprosy and didn't have an option of cure at that time.

The moment I saw him, I felt bad for all that complaining and immediately felt guilty about complaining about the hike. What's even more amazing is this man's faith and spirit to fight on.

East Timor is predominantly Catholic so we threw him a deeper question in relation to the disease being a biblical disease.

"Are you angry at God"

But his answer was admirable. "God is in the wind. He is everywhere and he is my creator. He made me this way. If he decides that I should die today, I am ready to see Him."

He went on to talk about his beautiful wife and how she loves him so much til this day.

"I have nothing to complain about, I have a great family and a wife who loves me."

Isn't that amazing people?

If I were in his state, i'd prolly be angry at God and feeling sorry for myself but let's learn a thing or two through his attitude in life.

After that visit, I climbed up the mountain with new energy, in half the time and a better attitude to life. I also started thinking about how much more faith I need to have and my relationship with God.

Not only was Adelino a man of faith but he was a man with such a strong fighting spirit, I forgot that I was there to interview a former leprosy patient but instead I feel like he left me leaving my assignment with the questions instead.

Another reason I love my job.

See the Interactive piece here