My husband and I started our life together, with a lot of dreams. Even though our life was modest, we were very happy and content. When our son, Akash was born, it was the best day of our lives. My husband is a teacher, and it was natural for us to wish to give him the best education. All we wanted was to raise him as a happy and successful person. But even before any of this could start, life took a turn for the worse.
The past 6 years have been nothing like what we had imagined
It has been 6 years since our bundle of joy came into our lives. When he was born, we had dreams of what he would be like, growing up. At 6, we expected him to be an excited little child, wondering about everything around him, going to school. I had so many stories to tell him while feeding him food. But sadly, some dreams remain just that, and never see the light of the day.It is such an irony that, while my husband teaches hundreds of children every day, at his school, our own son, is always lying down in a room. He needs dialysis sessions every day for 16 hours! He is always on a high dosage of medicines and injections. Yet, nothing relieves his pain. This has been his life for the past 3 years. Nothing worse could have happened to us and our little boy.
My little boy doesn't live the life other 6-year-old children do
My son has been suffering from kidney disease since he was a year old. He has never seen the world outside, due to his illness. He feels trapped inside the house because he can’t do what the other kids can. He can’t run, can’t play, and most importantly, has no friends.When he was one-year-old, he got a high fever and within few days, his stomach and forehead were swollen. I rushed him to the hospital because this didn’t seem normal at all. I was terrified and dreading the worst. They ran tests after tests and diagnosed him with kidney disease. Surprisingly, I could calmly handle the situation. Honestly, I believed that it could be cured with medicines, and maybe a few injections.
He thinks he will never be able to even see a school
We were religiously following all the instructions the doctor gave us. But with each passing day, his health started deteriorating and that is when I started panicking. I had no idea what to do or where I was going wrong in caring for my baby. I took him to the hospital again, for further evaluations. The heavy dosage of medicines he had taken led to kidney failure and many infections. Since then, he has been taking treatment for one ailment after the other.My son asked us for a school bag and lunch bag, he keeps it very safe. He always used to wait for the day to come, when he would be attending school, instead of a dialysis session. But gradually, treatment became such a part of his life, that he stopped asking me when he could go to school. After a long wait to go to school, he has started thinking and accepting that this is what life is. Just medicines and dialysis. No 6-year-old should feel that.
I can't even remember how many blood tests and scans we have taken in these years. Each cost around Rs 3-4k. Medicines and dialysis are expensive and we have spent totally 15 lakhs in these years for his treatment.
We are neck deep in debt and have no money left to help our boy
These past 5 years have been very exhausting. We have been running back and forth to hospitals. We are willing to do anything him. Every rupee my husband earns is spent for his treatment, and it’s all worth it. But all his money has run out and we have borrowed from everyone we knew. We are neck deep in debts, but it is all worth it if our son survives it.I do not worry about the money but what hurts me is, that despite all the struggle, my son is still in pain, fighting for his life. I'm helpless. I try to be strong in his presence but sometimes I break down. How much can I endure, seeing my child suffer like this? He trusts me and holds on to me all the time. I have to save him.
We have taken him to several hospitals and have tried all that is possible. Doctors have told that only a kidney transplant can save his life. Fortunately, his father is a matching donor. I do not want anything in life but for my son to live, he deserves a life. We do not have a single penny left to pay for his treatment anymore. I can’t imagine losing him to poverty.
How you can help
The day my son is completely recovered will be the day we all will start living. Only your contributions can make it happen.Please help me save Akash.