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“She tells me she wants to go to school as she does not like missing classes. Her body may be in the hospital, but her mind is at school – among her books and her classmates. She is begging me to rid her of this disease as soon as possible so that she can get her old life back.” - Mubina, mother
Ashna has lived with a rare blood disorder called thalassemia major, a blood disorder involving lesser-than normal amounts of hemoglobin, all her life. She was able to survive till this point on regular blood transfusions, but now even that will not be enough to help her. There is a risk of high iron deposition in her blood damaging her vital organs like the heart and kidneys.
A bone marrow transplant is the only permanent solution to her problems, but it is a procedure which costs at least INR 20 lakhs and is completely out of the reach of her poor family.
‘She is sharp and cheerful… but turns into someone else when her hemoglobin drops’
Ashna’s classmates describe her as a bright and focused student who likes getting involved in almost all indoor activities. She is great at drawing too. But due to her condition, she cannot walk fast or run. And once every 15 days, when her hemoglobin count drops, she becomes dull and gloomy. She is not able to eat, and vomits if she tries to.‘She thinks she has been cursed, although she is smart enough to know it is a medical issue. She plunges into depression whenever her body becomes weak. We watch our smart daughter become someone entirely different when this happens.” - Mubina.
Poverty is standing between Ashna and her pursuit of a normal, healthy life
Ashna comes from a very poor family. Her father, Abdulla, works as a helper in fishermen’s boats. He earns close to nothing, but it is the only job he knows how to do since he is both uneducated and illiterate. Her mother, Mubina, is a housewife who takes care of her when she falls sick. She has a younger brother too, who does not know much about his sister’s illness. Ashna’s cousin and two other children from her village also suffer from the same disease and her family is committed to saving all these children, despite their poverty.
“Ashna deserves a happy, healthy and long life. She is hardworking and has always expressed her wish to get a good job and take care of us when she grows up. But it will not be possible if we cannot save her now. Our poor finances are not helping us… Please, please help us save her.”- Abdulla, father.
Ashna needs your support urgently to undergo her bone marrow transplant.
