Unbroken: Putul’s Journey of Strength and Hope
The sound of my mother’s quiet sobbing still echoes in my mind. I was too young to understand why she cried, but I knew our lives were about to change forever. Today, I am 22 years old and a third-year nursing student at Anowara Nursing Science and Midwifery in Mirzapur, Dinajpur district, Bangladesh. I am living the best chapter of my life, but the road to this point has been anything but easy.
Childhood Marked by Abandonment
For most people, childhood is a cherished time—a period they wish to relive. For me, however, childhood was a chapter I wanted to escape. My earliest memories are filled with pain. When I was very young, my father left my mother, leaving her alone to raise me, my older sister Merina, and my brother Shimanto. I was the youngest, and my mother had no choice but to take us to her mother’s house. But from the moment we arrived, we were seen as an unwelcome burden.
The weight of being unwanted settled on my small shoulders, and I carried it everywhere I went. My mother, faced with no other choice, left us in the village and moved to Dhaka to work and support us. She was forced to make an unimaginable sacrifice—leaving her children behind to fend for themselves.
Facing Stigma & My Brother’s Love
My brother, Shimanto, being the oldest, became our everything. He bathed us, fed us, and even combed our hair. He was only a child himself, but he stepped into the role of a mother and protected us the best he could. We were just children, yet we carried responsibilities far beyond our years.
There were moments of temporary escape—like going to village school, playing with other children, swimming in the ponds—but reality always caught up with us. Unlike the other children, we had to work in the fields to earn food. One day, as I was working under the sun, a teacher from my school came to find me. "Putul, you have an exam! Come now," he urged.
I was pulled out of the fields and taken to the exam room, my hands still covered in dirt. Sitting there, I knew my life was different from my classmates’. They had families to support them. I had only my siblings.
At my grandmother’s house, we were seen as burdens – a constant reminder that we didn’t belong. The villagers gossiped about our family. “Her father left her mother for another woman,” they would say. The stigma of being a child from a broken family weighed on me. It did not matter that we were only children. The judgment was passed on us. It felt like the world had already decided my worth.
Turning Point: Finding Belonging at SAMS
A teacher from SAMS saw my situation and took me under their care. I was admitted as an orphaned child, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. SAMS became my family. I was not defined by my broken family. I was simply Putul—another student, surrounded by others who understood my pain.
Soon after, I received sponsorship. Suddenly, I no longer had to worry about school fees or food. It felt like a miracle. And that sense of belonging became the foundation for my hope and determination.
Siblings' sacrifices and Mother’s Strength in Me
While I found hope at SAMS, my siblings were left behind. My sister, Merina, was married off before she could finish her education. My brother, Shimanto, now works in a garment factory, his dreams deferred so that I could pursue mine. Their sacrifices are a constant reminder of why I must succeed. They are my pillars, my silent cheerleaders, and I carry their dreams with me every day.
My mother has always been my quiet strength. She endured sleepless nights, backbreaking work, and the pain of being separated from her children—all to give us a chance at a better life. Her sacrifices are etched into every step of my journey, and I owe her everything. She is the reason I refuse to give up, no matter how difficult the road ahead may be.
Home of Love and Future of Hope
We are no longer welcome at my grandmother’s house, but that no longer matters. We built a new home—small, simple, but ours. It is filled with love, peace, and the comfort we never had before. My mother lives there now, and I visit her as often as I can. Thit little house is our sanctuary, a symbol of everything we have overcome.
My dreams are simple yet profound. I want to finish my nursing studies, get a job, and take care of my mother and siblings. I want to visit SAMS again, the place that gave me a second chance and thank the people who believed in me.
Unbroken: My Promise to Keep Moving Forward
Most of all, I want to show my family that their sacrifices were not in vain. I will turn our struggles into triumphs, one step at a time. I have come too far to give up now.
The road ahead may be difficult, but I know I will reach my destination. I will continue to work hard, not just for myself, but for my family—for my mother, my brother, and my sister. They are my heart, and I will make sure that everything they have given up for me will be worth it.
