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It’s PT hour in school, and the whole class runs out to play on the field. It’s a welcome break between the regular monotony of studies in the classroom. Amidst the bunch of young boys passionately running around to strike another goal, or score another run, a 17-year-old sits watching them with a deep longing in his eyes to be one among them. All he wishes is to be able to spend 1 day playing on the ground with his friends, but if he ever dared it, he would only land himself in the hospital battling death.
Harsh was diagnosed with a heart condition at birth.
“It was obviously very difficult: not just coming to terms with the truth, but also to ensure that a little boy does not run around and play. As a child, he would try over and over. He could not even understand what the problem was and what the consequences could mean,” Harsh’s father Dharmesh recalls.
Harsh’s condition also makes him extremely susceptible to viral infections. The parents must hold their breath with every change in the weather. The smallest of infections means he must be hospitalised.
The need for an urgent surgery
As Harsh grew up, he understood his situation, and refrained from playing. A simple boy who is very close to his family, especially his siblings, the teenager cannot participate in any activity that causes him to strain his lungs. Over time, the sensitivity increased, and his abilities got more and more limited.
“He cannot even climb a flight of stairs without gasping for breath. The condition started interfering with even daily activities like getting to his classroom from the school gate. Every time he caught a viral infection, his condition just worsened more than the previous time.”
When taken for a check-up, the worst revealed. Harsh needed an urgent open-heart surgery. He would not survive without it.
Why he needs your help:
The doctors had to perform a surgery at the earliest to save the boy. Harsh is still in the ICU and needs your help to get back home to his family.
“I am not a very poor man. I have a small job, and have a stable source of income; but a sum of a few lakhs is still a very big deal for me. We have been keeping my son alive on medication. We were not able to save anything. We do not have enough time to make any provisions as well,” Harsh’s father says.
How you can help
The father is struggling to pool in funds to pay for his son’s life-saving surgery. Harsh still needs to be kept in the ICU for a few days, which the family is arranging for with great difficulty.
A small contribution on your end could go a long way to give Harsh a second chance in life.
