DEVINA Rattan today lives in the village of Palmyra. She is not a native of the village, nor has she lived there for a very long time. But the story behind how this incredible young woman came to live in the village is quite unique. Devina suffers from ITP (Immune thrombocytopenic purpura). It is a rare autoimmune disorder in which a person’s blood doesn’t clot properly, because the immune system destroys the blood-clotting platelets.

The true cause of ITP is not yet known, but it is due to an immune system error that may be triggered by viral infections. Devina was a fourth-form student when she began seeing signs of being ill. After she was taken to the doctor, she was diagnosed with ITP at 15.
The diagnosis put her life on hold, and prohibited her from doing many of the things she was used to. The reality of this was difficult for her, as she saw many of the activities she loved become things she could no longer do. Devina remembers her life before she was diagnosed with ITP, saying, “I used to go to ‘Apex’ in Georgetown, and eventually, I took in with ITP.” This came as a shock to both Devina and her family, because of the suddenness of it all.

According to Devina, ITP is an entirely unpredictable illness. Devina emphasised that although she has and is still being treated for ITP, she could have an attack at any moment. She said, “Sometimes, even when doctors treat you, it could attack you back.” The first signs that something was wrong was first spotted in the rash and red spots that plagued a young Devina. “It is the red blood cells taking over the white blood cells, and it causes plenty red spots and rash,” she said.
The effects of ITP went far beyond rashes and blisters, or even feeling ill. Devina’s mother, out of fear of the unknown and love for her daughter, took Devina out of school. She shared that they were seemingly just too many things she was told she couldn’t do. “Eventually, after the doctor told my mother I couldn’t take stress, and I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t do that, my mother said I wouldn’t be going back to school,” Devina said.

This is the point in which she was led to the place she now calls home, the village of Palmyra. After leaving school, Devina sought to get married, and found her husband, who hails from the village of Palmyra. After meeting her now husband, she was happy with the amount of support he showed in the relationship. He would often leave his Palmyra home to visit her. This, Devina says, is why she wanted to get married to him, saying, “I told my mother I wanted to get married. I met my husband on Facebook, and he used to come and see me when I was sick. And so I got married, and came here in Palmyra to live.”

As happily married newlyweds, the couple was set with a new challenge. Among the implications of ITP, Devina becoming pregnant was a big risk. A pregnant woman’s immune system is important for both her and a healthy baby and successful birth. But Devina’s immune system is already greatly compromised, so becoming a mother was not easy.
Devina shared that, “During the pregnancy, it was really tough, because I used to feel so weak. After the pregnancy, I would bleed for a couple well months.” Despite the risks and pain associated with bearing a child, Devina is today the mother of two children, Raya and Vishwani Balgobin.

Devina gives a bleak description of her symptoms. She said, “ITP is caused by a platelet damaging in my body. And I could probably start bleeding just like that. And I begin to feel weak and maybe vomit blood.” As she currently is, Devina says she is not being actively affected by ITP, and refers to her sympoms as mild. “And I’m very grateful for that,” she said.
On the matter of how, if at all, living in the village of Palmyra has impacted her, she says yes. And in the few short years she has lived in Palmyra, she says she is happy to call it home. But even more so, she is happy to call these people her family and friends. Devina says that looking around, she, like many other young people fighting against the odds, are open to more opportunities to do more.
Admittedly, Devina was scared at first of the daunting prospect of being a sufferer of ITP, and later with the challenge of becoming a mother. But she carried on with strength and faith in herself, and for the future. And she made it through with the support of the good people of Palmyra.