Yangyel Lhaden 

Having recovered from a two-month coma, 25-year old Phub Gyem is in seven-day home quarantine.  She will continue physiotherapy after the quarantine, to learn to walk, after which she hopes to return to work.  Her friend, 33-year old Dechen Tshomo, has restarted her desuup duties at Babesa Higher Secondary School.  The two women believe that they have been given a second chance to live.

In the evening of September 16, 2020, the two desuups were involved in a freak accident in Babesa, where a vehicle without a driver ran down the road when the two desuups were crossing the road.  It left Phub Gyem in a critical condition, and Dechen Tshomo suffered lung injury.  Phub Gyem was put on life support, having sustained multiple severe injuries.

Considering the severity of the injuries, doctors in the country had given up hope on Phub Gyem.

Desuup Dechen Tshomo with her family

His Majesty The King wanted to explore every possibility to help the desuups. The two desuups were referred to a hospital in Delhi the next day on the command of His Majesty.

Phub Gyem’s parents said that they had lost all hope until His Majesty The King and The Gyaltsuen reassured them with their words.  Phub Gyem’s father, Kinley Dorji, said it was impossible for them to otherwise provide the treatment the two women received from the Throne.

Kinley Dorji and another desuup accompanied them to Delhi.  Phub Gyem was in a coma for two of the four months she was treated in Delhi.  Her mother, Zangmo, said that these first two months were the hardest. “Every time I was on the verge of breaking down, I remembered words of His Majesty and The Gyaltsuen which helped me to stay strong.”

Today, Phub Gyem is in a stable condition.  Her parents have full hope that she will walk again, and say that she wants to go back on duty as soon as she can stand on her feet.

With the support from her parents and her three-year-old daughter, all of whom are very proud of her work as a desuup, Dechen Tshomo’s experience has allowed her to continue serving the country. “For me this is my second life from His Majesty and I’ll continue to serve the best I can.” Although her family still worries for her safety and health, she has made full recovery, thanks to the treatment at the hospital in Delhi.

Dechen Tshomo said that she felt proud and emotional upon receiving the King’s Gold Pin. “With the pin on my forehead I prayed with all my heart, and paid my deepest respect to my King.”