Last year in June, 17-year old Ananya's coughing became unbearable when her chest and throat started swelling up. She would struggle to swallow her food. That's when she got to know that she has Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. Her chemotherapy went well and by February this year, she was cancer-free. But she hardly had a month to rejoice before her cancer relapsed.

Ananya began questioning herself whether she was too quick to celebrate her victory over cancer that it relapsed just within a month.  

She used to attend online classes in her hospital gown

Ananya had to undergo a Stem Cell Transplant in the hope that her body will now produce healthy cells, free of cancer. It's a long wait before the success of it can be ascertained but her parents are unable to afford her Post Transplant care worth 10 lakhs.

"My hair had just begun to grow after I beat cancer once and now I've lost them all again. I'm in 12th standard and this year is very crucial for my future but I have missed so many classes due to my health. I used to feel conscious of being the only student to attend online classes in a hospital gown instead of my school uniform. But I feel blessed because my teachers have boosted my morale and shown incredible support towards me."- Ananya 

Her School holds daily prayer meetings for her recovery

Everyone loves Ananya, be it her teachers at school or her friends. Her Principal, Vice Principal and Teachers even contributed around Rs. 65,000 from their personal funds. Such heart-warming gestures have helped Ananya stay strong during such a crisis.

"For us, our students are like our own children. When we got to know about Ananya's condition, I personally visited her during her first chemo and since then we have jointly held evening prayers daily for her speedy recovery. We tried our best to ease their burden by contributing whatever we could towards her treatment."- Mrs. Kajari Biswas, Ananya's School Principal

Ananya with her School Faculty (L) - Ananya's handwritten get well soon note sent by her School (R) 

She has been on feeding tube for days as she can't eat

Right now, she is suffering from oral mucositis so she can't swallow anything due to the swelling in her mouth. She will be on a feeding tube till her lungs and throat show signs of recovery. Her gums bleed often and her diarrhoea has been uncontrollable. She needs to be under observation in isolation for precautions against infections. This means that prolonged hospitalization is the only need of hour for her recovery.

Nani Gopal, Ananya's father, has mortgaged his house and sold his shop after spending 21 lakhs for her Transplant. He has only a few months to recover his house else he will lose its ownership. They have given their all only in the hopes of saving her.

Ananya at her School Dance & Choir Group

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"This relapse made me realize the intensity of this deadly disease my child is suffering from. This time the doctors asked us to get a Stem Cell Transplant without delay. We spent everything to get it done but even now we are terrified as there can be a chance of 80 percent relapse if we don't continue with her further treatment."- Shampa, mother

Ananya has been a choir singer and for her to accept that she may never be able to sing again has been disheartening. She has just one dream and that is to make her parents proud. But that's only possible with your support now so please help them.