IN the run-up to Christmas, our thoughts are of enjoyment, yet for Leah Pattison, it will be business as usual. Unlike most of us, she won't be spending time with her family, but at her clinic in Nagpur, or treating HIV patients on the streets. She won't complain - this is the life that she has chosen - but it is still a sacrifice that few others would be prepared to make.

Not all of us can be like Leah. With her strong vocation, she's at the coal face in the slums of India, helping those in greatest need. What others ignore, she can't help seeing - and not just seeing but wanting to act. Her courage is inspiring, her compassion humbling, and her conviction beyond what most of us can understand.

Yet as we contemplate Leah's selflessness, there is something we can do. In the rush towards Christmas, we can reflect on what we have. Unlike the women in Leah's care, we will never be truly destitute. Due to an accident of our birth, we have the blessings of wealth and education. We have families who love us and if all else fails, the state will provide for us. These women have nothing. They have literally no one, and that is something we can't imagine.

That Leah is trying to help them is a credit to her, but also to us. As someone from the North-East, she's our ambassador. She embodies the spirit of generosity for which we're known. She deserves our support and our pride.