“She has been suffering from the time she came into the world. Her cries are getting feebler with every passing day that I fear I will lose her soon. I do not sleep a wink at night; when I close my eyes, bad thoughts haunt me. I hold her close and pray that I don’t lose her before my husband can arrange the money for her surgery.”-Mahalakshmi, mother of 7-month-old Sruthikasree.

When Mahalakshmi and her husband Masaniappan went for the 7-month scan during her pregnancy, they expected the doctor to say that everything was looking fine as usual, but instead, they received bad news that their child had congenital heart disease and would require surgery immediately after birth. At first, the parents were too shocked at the prospect of having a sick child, but later they swore to do everything necessary to make sure that the baby would be alright. But it has been 7 months now since their little angel’s birth and they have not yet been able to arrange the money for her heart surgery yet.

This poor baby suffers from recurrent cold and fever due to her bad heart

Baby Sruthikasree was diagnosed with Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV), a severe heart disease in which the heart’s two major vessels, the pulmonary artery and the aorta, both connect to the lower right chamber of the heart, causing circulation of oxygen-poor blood in the body. In addition, the baby also has a hole in the wall separating the right and left chambers of the heart, which allows the oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood to mix. These conditions lead to very low levels of oxygen in the baby’s body. As a result, she cannot breathe properly and is very prone to colds and infection, which in turn causes fever.

“Her body burns with fever every other day. We give her many medicines, but nothing helps her. She wails in pain and discomfort. I feel so helpless as a mother.”-Mahalakshmi.

Mahalakshmi is forced to take care of her baby alone as her husband is striving hard to arrange money for the surgery

Mahalakshmi stays with her husband Masaniappan, and two children – 7-year-old Raghavan and 7-month-old Sruthikasree in Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu. Her husband works as a daily wager at a building construction site and has erratic work hours. He goes in the wee hours of the morning and returns only past midnight. Mahalakshmi is tasked with taking care of household responsibilities and her sick baby all by herself. Ever since Sruthikasree was born, he has been working extra hours in a bid to make enough money for her surgery. But until now, he has not been able to make more than a few thousand rupees. Without her husband around, Mahalakshmi has to take the baby to the hospital all by herself. She is ready to go through any hardship for the sake of her baby.

How you can help

Mahalakshmi’s baby girl is suffering from multiple heart defects that can only be fixed with an urgent open heart surgery. The baby is becoming weaker with every passing day and is plagued by fever and cold. Her father does not have the means to save her.

Your kind contribution can help save this poor baby’s life