“My husband is completely blind. No matter how much he wants to help, he just can’t. I’m the only earning member of the family and must do everything on my own now – whether it’s working or taking our son to the hospital every few weeks. I had somehow managed till now, but Aryan’s disease is now making him sicker. I have always wanted to give him the best. He's everything to me, and I feel like I'm failing.” – Poornima, mother

 Poornima's 12-year-old son Aryan is fighting a severe blood disease and needs a bone marrow transplant at the earliest to survive. Poornima is struggling to save him on her own.

The medicines stopped working, Aryan was getting sicker

Aryan was only 2-months-old when he was diagnosed with pure red cell aplasia, a condition in which the bone marrow fails to produce red blood cells. His hemoglobin was extremely low, and he looked pale all the time. He was on medication for years until 2014, when the medicines didn’t work anymore. Aryan was getting sicker and only regular blood transfusions could keep him going.

“But now even that is not enough. He needs a bone marrow transplant soon. People often tell me that my son looks fit and fine, but his body is giving up on the inside. Imagine having no blood in your body… he feels like that all the time.”

Despite his disease, Aryan dreams big

Despite everything he’s been through, Aryan remains his happy, social self. Whether at school or the hospital, he makes friends wherever he goes. His stories are never-ending. Most of all, he loves spending time with his mother. Aryan knows he has a dangerous disease but that doesn’t stop him from talking about his future in IIT.

“It’s sad to see how he’s so used to going to the hospital. It’s been a part of his life since he was a baby. But he hasn’t stopped dreaming. He's very close to me, he makes me laugh even when he's the one going through pain."

This mother needs your help to save her son this time

Poornima is the sole breadwinner of the family. She teaches English to class 2 -6 in a private school in Bhopal and earns Rs. 18,000 per month. A portion of this goes towards Aryan’s treatment every month. They don’t have much left after that. Rajendra hasn’t been able to work in years due to his disability.

“I’ve done everything I can to continue his treatment. I try not to miss even a day of work but he’s getting sick every other day now. His immunity is low. I can’t even remember how much we’ve spent over the years… it’s easily in lakhs. But I can’t save him on my own this time.”

Aryan is a happy child, but his future is uncertain because of his disease. He needs a bone marrow transplant at the earliest.