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Six years ago, my life changed when my husband passed away. His diabetes got worse and soon his kidneys failed. We went to many hospitals, but nothing worked. I watched him get weaker every day, and then he was gone.
I became a widow, a single mother, and had to support our 16-year-old son. I moved from Dindigul to Coimbatore and started working as an assistant professor at Karunya Institute. Teaching has always been something I love, and it helped me start again.
‘But while I was trying to bounce back, my body was quietly falling apart’
I’ve had Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) since I was 25. I lived with cysts in my uterus and kidneys for years, but I always pushed through—because there was no time to be sick. Then, six months ago, everything came crashing down. The cysts had grown dangerously large and doctors told me I needed immediate surgery. That’s when my uterus and my left kidney were both removed.
It was a complicated, painful procedure—and it wiped out everything I had financially. Every rupee. Every bit of savings. Even the small gold I had. I borrowed, begged, and did whatever I could to survive. By the time I made it out of the hospital, I had nothing left—except a failing kidney and fear.
‘Now, I am in a critical condition as the only kidney I have is functioning at just 30%’
I undergo dialysis twice a week—eight draining sessions every month. Each one leaves me more exhausted than the last. The needles pierce my skin, and the sessions leave me with deep pain in my abdomen. I can barely sit upright afterward. My knees hurt constantly, I struggle to breathe, and even a few steps feel like a marathon. Eating has become very difficult too. The dialysis centre is far from the university quarters where I live, and the travel itself takes a toll on whatever little strength I have left.
The only kidney I have left is functioning at 30% capacity, and is getting damaged by the growth of multiple cysts. My creatinine levels are dangerously high. Doctors say I need an urgent kidney transplant. But how do you afford a life-saving surgery when your savings are gone, your body is breaking down, and you're fighting to survive—one breath at a time?
‘If I don't get the transplant, my son won’t just lose his mother—he’ll lose the only parent he has left’
I’m only 46. I’ve devoted my life to teaching and to raising my son. He’s 21 now, freshly out of college, trying to find his footing in the world. If something were to happen to me, he would be left completely alone in this world—with no loving parent to guide him. That thought breaks me more than the pain in my body ever could.
My aged mother, who is in her 70s and battling her own health issues, is the one helping me now. She cooks for me, takes care of me, and cries quietly when she sees me in pain. This isn’t how life was supposed to go.
With your help, I can get my life back
I want to live. I want to teach again. I want to see my son thrive, get married, build his life. I want to stand in front of a classroom full of bright minds and tell them they can be anything they want to be. But right now, I’m struggling to even walk and move about. How will I arrange enough money to get better?
Every small contribution brings me one step closer to a transplant. One step closer to survival. One step closer to watching my son live the life we dreamed of.
Click here to donate.
