Baby Dhanika looks like a normal and healthy child, giggling every time her mother tickles her tummy, rolling over, and now, she even sits up on her own. Her smile is bright, and she smiles often. However, her body is nothing like that of a healthy baby’s – she’s fighting a severe blood disease. Riddled with fever, cold and cough every other day, Dhanika needs injections every day to ensure that her body doesn’t give up on her. Her mornings begin with the painful injections, and her nights end with Jagadeesh and Ranjitha rocking her to sleep, hoping that the next day will be a better one for their little girl.
When they took home Dhanika for the first time, everything felt perfect – her little crib lay in the corner of their room and her small clothes were carefully folded. However, their happiness was tragically short-lived. Dhanika started falling sick so often, that she was rushed to the hospital every 15 days, and that was only the beginning of her struggle.
“She has been in the ICU four times already. She’s only 8-months-old! Every time she gets a fever or even a mild cold, we worry. We never know when it will escalate, and her condition will become critical. Every morning, before work, I take her to the hospital. She’s so terrified that she constantly moves her hands and legs so that they don’t give her the injections. But it’s the only thing keeping her alive.” – Jagadeesh, father
Dreams of a happy and healthy childhood for Dhanika, shattered
Just the other day, while waiting at the hospital, Jagadeesh and Ranjitha found themselves reminiscing about the few days before Dhanika’s arrival.“We were so nervous and excited. I had even stitched her a few clothes. Even while working, Jagadeesh called me every few hours to check how I was doing. When she was born, we finally felt like all our troubles would disappear soon,” says Ranjitha.
When they took home Dhanika for the first time, everything felt perfect – her little crib lay in the corner of their room and her small clothes were carefully folded. However, their happiness was tragically short-lived. Dhanika started falling sick so often, that she was rushed to the hospital every 15 days, and that was only the beginning of her struggle.