Minnal was overjoyed with the news of her pregnancy. As the months passed by, she began preparing for the arrival for her first baby. She would often sing songs to the baby and tell him that she would protect him from everything. Unfortunately, during a scan in the seventh month of her pregnancy, she found out that her baby had a small heart defect. She hoped and prayed, against all odds, that her baby would be born healthy. However, the little was born with not one, but multiple heart defects. His condition is now critical and he needs surgery immediately to survive.
 

“When I was pregnant with my baby, I feared that I will lose him. 9 months after his birth, I still fear for his life. With each day, his condition is only getting worse. I don’t know when my baby will suddenly stop breathing and choke to death. I wish we weren't so poor, then I wouldn’t have to spend my days worrying about my baby's life. I wish I had the means to get him treated in time." Minnalkodi, mother of 9-month-old Samishwaran

Medicines only temporarily relieved their baby of pain, he is now fighting death

When Minnal’s baby was born, the doctors had said that he needed a surgery in 10 days. The baby was given medicines and had to come back soon after. But Minnal and Selvaraj couldn’t afford to go back for the surgery as they didn’t have the money. When the parents saw their baby recovering, Minnal went to the temple to thank the Gods for answering her prayers. Little did she think that her happiness would be so short-lived.

“He was just 3 months old when he had a severe cough and cold, and he struggled to breathe. He had just started holding my fingers with his tiny hands. My baby would cough so much that he would get exhausted and fall asleep. Sometimes he would even choke in his sleep. I would stay up all night, afraid of what might happen to my baby. Even when I work in the kitchen, I keep checking on him every minute only to ensure that he’s breathing.”

The baby is very critical now and needs multiple surgeries to stay alive

Minnalkodi’s baby has multiple heart defects due to which he needs 3 surgeries at the earliest. The little baby has both his arteries on one side of his heart, due to which he needs an artery switch. The baby also has a hole in his heart. Minnal's baby becomes extremely breathless. He can’t feed properly and is underweight. Without the surgery, he will have regular chest infections and will not be able to breathe at all.

“I had so many plans for my baby. I have studied only till class 10 and my husband till class 5, and we wanted to give our child a good education. I used to always tell Selvaraj that we need to save money to send our child to school. I didn’t want my child to suffer due to poverty like us. but now, our poverty is the only thing standing in the way of our son's recovery. We're helpless, we can't do anything but watch him slip away from us."

His parents had no choice but to delay his treatment due to a dire lack of funds 

Minnal and Selvaraj couldn’t afford the surgery for 9 months. They are still struggling very hard to arrange the money for treatment. Selvaraj works as a daily wage laborer. His income is not fixed and he earns anywhere between 50 and 300 on a good day. They have spent all they had on their baby's tests and medicines. Despite trying for months, they haven't been able to arrange the amount for his treatment. The delay has only pushed the baby to the brink of death.

“We don’t have any relatives to turn to for help. My in-laws are very old and we are the only ones who have to take care of them. With the small amount of income that we have, it’s very difficult to make ends meet. We have struggled a lot, and the 4 lakhs needed for his surgery is beyond our means. Even if we work and save for years, we will not be able to afford it. I am trying to do everything I can to save my baby, but I am slowly losing hope. I can't bear the pain of losing my only child."

How you can help

Minnalkodi’s 9-month-old baby is suffering from multiple heart defects and needs 3 surgeries to be able to survive. Although he has had the heart disease since his birth, his parents have no means to afford his surgery. The delay in the surgery has made the baby very critical and he is running out of time.