You Can Save 3-year-old Sandhiya Who Is On Artificial Lung | Milaap
This is a supporting campaign. Contributions made to this campaign will go towards the main campaign.
You Can Save 3-year-old Sandhiya Who Is On Artificial Lung Machine
  • KL

    Created by

    Keerthana Lohith
  • S

    This fundraiser will benefit

    Sandhiya

    from Chennai, Tamil Nadu

“I’m not able to remember what my daughter last said to me. She got so quiet as the disease progressed and now, under all these wires I feel like I have lost her forever.”

Sandhiya is 3 years old. When Santosh and Bharathi talk about their daughter, they gush about her antics, the way she makes people laugh with her constant chattering, and how playful yet precocious she can be. Within 10 days, her demeanor completely changed. What started off as a cold has left Sandhiya hooked to artificial lungs and heart machine, fighting to survive with every breath.

It went from a cold to respiratory failure in 10 days

21st December. It was like any other winter morning. Santosh’s 6-year-old son was running around the house with Sandhiya. She kept coughing. Bharathi realized that her daughter may have caught a cold. She tucked her into bed after lunch. Eventually, the cough and fever got worse until she began struggling for every breath.

“Even though we visited the doctor, her fever did not come down. 10 days, we did all tests for dengue, malaria, typhoid, and jaundice. Everything was normal. We thought we would lose her when the wheezing began. I rushed her to the hospital and there, she was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia and respiratory failure.”  

We could not afford it, but if we refused, she would have died 

Sandhiya was sedated and hooked to the ECMO. The machine is keeping her alive while her lungs recover from the severe damage. Since she needed high doses for antibiotics to fight pneumonia, Sandhiya also needed to be on dialysis.

“On 6th January, we admitted her to the PICU. They said her lungs are failing and she needed artificial lung support. Without the ECMO (extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation), she would have died. The cost for that is over Rs. 1.5 Lakh/day. We could not afford, but we had to opt for it in order to save our daughter.”

This is the only treatment that can save her 

Santosh has not left his daughter’s bedside. He is praying for a miracle to save her life and bring her back to good health. This father has appealed to all his friends, to help manage the medical expenses. With just Rs. 12000 income, Santosh is unable to pay a bill that has mounted up to Rs. 20 Lakhs.

“Her kidneys would have failed from all those medicines if they did not start dialysis. Yesterday, they stopped dialysis. Her kidneys are holding up. Her lungs are getting better. With a little time, she will recover. We just need help to continue the treatment that is keeping her alive.” 

How you can help

“Sandhiya became very quiet as the cold got worse. Eventually, she stopped talking. I cannot remember what she said last said to us. Now she is sedated, her eyes are taped shut, and she looks so small under all those tubes and wires. I want to protect her from the pain but I do not know how!”

Santosh and Bharathi are at a loss trying to find a way to save their daughter. They are unable to afford the treatment that is saving Sandhiya’s life. She is 3 years old and breathing on artificial lungs.

Your contribution can save this little girl’s life and rid her of this pain.

Read More

Know someone in need of funds? Refer to us
support