Sangita loves dressing up. She sees her elder sister, Samponna, get ready for college and dreams of going there one day. She loves how she puts the kajal (kohl) in her eyes and finishes off with a small bindi (a colourful dot on the forehead). But for the last four months, she has been dreading to get up and stand in front of the mirror. Sangita has lost all her hair due to a rare type of blood cancer, which is spreading fast in her body. She feels as if she can't recognise herself any longer. 

An old photo of Sangita (left) with her elder sister 

'Do you promise me Baba that I will get better with the chemo?'

What started with just a fever and a severe headache, took a dangerous turn for 13-year-old Sangita. Her parents, Dilip and Sadhana, took her to the doctor but her condition wasn’t getting any better. Soon, after tests were done they got to know that their daughter is fighting with deadly cancer.
 

“I remember the day we told her she has cancer - she was inconsolable. Now, she seems to have accepted the fact but her eyes brim with sadness. She keeps asking me if she will be fine after the treatment. I don’t know what to tell her,” - Dilip, father.

Sangita stares blankly at her coloring books now, she feels her life has been robbed of colours

Sangita enjoyed colouring during her pastime back at home. Now, whenever she gets time between the tiring sessions of chemotherapy, Sadhana gives her the drawing copy. She sits with the pen in her hand, listless. The little girl feels that her life is now filled with darkness.
 

“She has had 4 cycles of chemotherapy but still needs more. The effect that chemotherapy has on her is terrible. To think that she has been undergoing all of this and more for so long brings tears to my eyes,” - Sadhana, mother.

I am cowering under huge debts, without your help I can never take Sangita back home

Dilip and his family stay in the mofussil town of Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He is a small time shopkeeper there, who sells rice and his entire family is dependent on his modest income.
 

“I have been spending the greater portion of my salary on Sangita’s health - fruits, milk, I have bought everything that the doctor asked me to feed her. But the cost of her treatment is beyond my means. Her school teachers and the local club have come together to help me - it is only because of them that I have spent Rs 6 lakhs as of now. But I don’t know how I can arrange for the 8 lakhs now that is required for her treatment,” - Dilip.

With your help, Sangita will get a new life free of cancer

Dilip and Sadhana are toiling very hard to make their ends meet. They have already incurred huge debts and are in no condition to continue Sangita’s treatment. However, a small contribution from your side can bring the lost happiness in Dilip’s household.

Your support can help save Sangita's life