Two-year-old Atharv gets on his feet to dance as soon as he hears music, and brings others to dance along with him too. Atharv’s parents cherish such moments because they know that his health may deteriorate at any time and he would be bedridden.

“My Atharv is very active… frolicking around the house with a bright smile on his face. But when he contracts an infection, he immediately gets a high fever and turns pale and weak.”

Atharv has lived like this since birth; fit for a few months and bedridden for another few

The high-spirited kid seems healthy but has an underlying illness. He has been diagnosed with Biliary Atresia and chronic liver disease with portal hypertension. In simple terms, this means that one of his bile ducts is missing from the liver. To cure this condition, he requires an urgent liver transplant.

“When he was just 5 days old, Atharv showed symptoms of jaundice. His eyes and body turned yellowish and pale. We went to the local hospital for two months but his condition did not improve, so we got him a surgery in Delhi that seemed like it had cured him. But shortly after that... veins in his stomach burst which caused a lot of bleeding. He started vomiting blood. The scene was horrifying. That day, we were scared for his life.”

Atharv was his mother's hope for a better future after a horrible miscarriage

Suman, Atharv’s mother, had a bad miscarriage in the past that left the couple devastated. So when Atharv was born healthy, the family rejoiced. And he is loved by everyone, dear to not only the family but even the neighbours. They come to play with him and take care of him whenever needed.

“We thanked God when Atharv was born healthy. His birth reduced the pain we had gone through during the miscarriage. Now with his life in danger, we don’t know what we would do if…”

Our son is the only wealth we have left

Gaya Prasad, Atharv’s father, is a police constable by profession. He has been struggling to cope with his hectic duty hours and Atharv’s treatment schedules. With his income, he supports a family of four and pays the exorbitant expenses for his son’s treatment. But his means are limited and doesn’t have the huge amount required for the transplant.

“My husband spent all that he'd saved. My mother, sister, and I have sold all of our jewellery to procure funds for the treatment but it is just not enough. We have borrowed money from everyone we could. We’re under debt. He is the only wealth we have left.”

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