Parents Are Struggling To Give Their 9-Year-Old A Life-Saving | Milaap
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Parents Are Struggling To Give Their 9-Year-Old A Life-Saving Surgery
  • Hari

    Created by

    Hari Sri Sagar
  • D

    This fundraiser will benefit

    Divya

    from Chennai, Tamil Nadu

"She gets ready for school every day but within an hour or so her teachers send her back saying that she is not well. She's hungry all the time, but she can't eat. She's losing weight drastically every day. Even walking 10 steps makes her breathe heavily, and she struggles to do normal activities like other children. I don't know how long she can survive without the surgery. When I can't even afford to take her to the hospital in Chennai, how can I arrange money for her surgery?-  Janaki, mother of 9-year-old Divya.

Divya turned blue and struggled to breathe when she was just 1-year-old

Divya is the eldest daughter of Suresh and Janaki. Her parents were expecting a girl baby and they were on cloud nine when she was born. She is the angel of the family. Despite their poverty, they made sure that Divya gets everything to stay healthy. Their happiness soon turned into a nightmare when she suddenly turned blue and struggled to breathe. She was diagnosed with heart disease when she was 1-year-old and the struggle continues even today.

Divya has multiple heart defects that make her extremely weak

When Divya's parents rushed her to a local hospital, doctors said that she has a heart problem and it would heal by itself as she grows. They were devastated that their little angel has heart disease but they were hopeful that it'll heal by itself and she will have a normal life. Unfortunately, her condition is not as simple as they thought it to be, she has multiple defects in her heart.  She has a hole between the heart's chambers and problems with the valve that regulates the blood flow in the heart. The veins bringing the blood is not connected to the left atrium as usual.

"Ever since the diagnosis we kept a close eye on her, we did not allow her to walk or run fast. She did not have a normal life like her younger brother or any of her friends. We never let her outside to play. She used to cry, and ask us why we are so strict with her but we never got the strength to tell her the problem. Sadly, none of the precautions helped, her condition has only worsened over the years." - Suresh.

Divya cannot do any normal activities like her friends and she longs to have a normal life

Divya feels sad that she cannot play like her friends. The unbearable chest pain and breathlessness have made her very weak. She hardly eats, when they force feed she vomits. Her body and even lips turn completely blue whenever she struggles to breathe. She is not able to be regular to school and she stays at home most of the days.

"My daughter is very smart. Despite the pain she is going through, she has not given it up. She tries her best to be 'normal', but there are very few days in the past 3 months where she has attended full-day class. She cries uncontrollably, she is aware that she needs a surgery but she has not asked about it to me. It is scary to imagine what is running in her mind." - Suresh.

Even travelling to Chennai for her treatment is exorbitant for her parents

Suresh is a farmer who works on other's land. He has no land of his own. He barely earns enough to feed his family of four. His wife Janaki also helps him sometimes but now she cannot leave Divya alone, she refuses to leave her alone. They are all crying in silence and have no strength to console each other. Doctors have said that she needs an urgent open heart surgery. Suresh had to borrow money even to travel to Chennai. They cannot imagine renting a room in Chennai and arranging money for the surgery.

How you can help

Suresh works on a farm in a village in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. He makes Rs 200 per day when work is available. On some months, he makes absolutely nothing. His daughter Divya's condition is deteriorating day by day. The little girl never had a normal childhood and her eyes are always filled with fear. She has a high chance of complete recovery if she gets the surgery in time. They need Rs 5 lakhs for the surgery. Her parents are desperate to save their child and have no one to help them.

Your support can help 9-year-old Divya to live a normal life































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