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"My arm has become a subject of jokes. People feel ashamed to let me in and the general attitude is to kick me out. Some people even tend to run away after seeing me, like it's contagious. I don’t even have any friends. No one wants to be seen with me. Even when I made a few friends, the friendships did not last more than a few days." - Abhishek
He suffers from a rare birth defect that has rendered his left arm useless
Abhishek was only 6 days old when his mother first noticed an abnormality in his left hand. With time, it grew worse and now his hand is swollen nearly 10 times its size. Soon, he was diagnosed with Parkes Weber syndrome, a rare congenital condition that has left him with a swollen and deformed left profile - from his shoulder to his hip region. Abhishek was taken to several places for treatment, but it was all in vain.“My left arm looks like the roots of a tree. Earlier, it used to be a lot smaller. Now it is swollen and has become very heavy that I have use my other hand to support it. It also hurts a lot. I can barely use this arm, and so I am unable to perform any tasks. I can't sleep properly. I can’t even wear my clothes on my own, and have to depend on my mother for every little thing.” - Abhisek
‘I feel like he is being punished for my sins, and I am absolutely helpless’
Mithlesh Devi, whose presence at family gatherings has been cut short by her son's illness, considers herself unlucky. But even with all the rejections around, she remains a constant companion for her son. She feels pained to see Abhishek’s health deteriorating, but is even more hurt by the cruelty he is subjected to by society."For a woman, her husband and children are sources of happiness. I lost my husband early and with him suffering... It hurts me a lot.There are times when his pain gets unbearable and the medicines do not respond. The whole family stops eating seeing him in pain. We have also had doctors telling us that the arm would need to be amputated in such a case. I feel like he is being punished for my sins, and I can’t do anything for him…” - Mithlesh Devi, mother
His family doesn’t have the means to afford his treatment
The breadwinner of the family, Abhishek's brother, earns around Rs 15,000 each month, but that is barely enough to manage their basic needs and afford his treatment. Now, the only thing keeping Abhishek going is hope - hope that a miracle can see him through.While the disease in itself is rare, his condition is even rarer. According to doctors, Abhishek's treatment is likely to take place, in stages, over two years. He would also require skin reconstruction, among other procedures and his entire treatment would cost around INR 75 lakhs.
"When you cannot provide for everyone in the family, of course my treatment is too much to ask for. So I am just praying for a miracle. Say you have someone with a disease who goes to sleep and wakes up cured. I want something like that. I just want to be free of this. I can’t let it destroy my life, and most of all, I cannot continue being a burden to my family.” - Abhishek
