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“My lovely and joyful little girl is no more. In her place is a weak little girl who is shrivelled up in fear. Most days, she will hold onto me and desperately beg me to end her pain. Other days, she’ll tell me to stop her treatment claiming it is of no use. ‘Maa, I’m going to die, so please don’t waste your money. What will my sisters do, if you spend everything on me? How will they study?’ I can’t believe these are the words coming out of an 8-year-old’s mouth.” - Kalpana, mother
They thought it was only an ordinary cold and fever
Though she’d always been on the smaller side and skinny, Kalpana’s daughter was never one to fall ill easily. She was an energetic child, with a vibrant personality. She excelled in her studies as well as extracurricular activities, and even dreamed of one day enlisting in the army. So when this little girl suddenly began losing her zest for life, it became a cause for worry for her family.“The first thing we noticed was that her whole body had turned pale, and she seemed thinner than usual. She’d had a cold and fever for a while and had even been complaining of chest pain. We got her checked out at a local clinic, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She was given some medication, and her blood count had dropped a little, but the doctor only told us to focus on her dietary requirements to raise her blood levels…” - Kiran, Kalpana’s niece
By the time her cancer was discovered, it had already advanced to a critical stage
The 8-year-old’s health didn’t improve even after 4 months of being on prescribed medications. So, in mid-January, Kalpana took her daughter to a hospital to get her thoroughly examined. It is there that she found out that not only was her daughter’s blood count so dangerously low that she needed a transfusion, but the cause of this was something they could have never expected.
“For nearly 15 days, we went back and forth between getting her blood transfusions and having her undergo every diagnostic test under the sun. The day her final reports came back, we weren’t informed about it outright. Instead, the hospital referred us to a bigger hospital and told us that a doctor there would be able to explain things better. My heart had been in my throat at that point and to receive such an answer meant there was something wrong. Sadly, my gut feeling had been right. I learned then that my sweet little girl had cancer.” - Kalpana
Kalpana’s little girl was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. But as it turns out, the delay in diagnosing her had led to her cancer advancing to a critical stage and the doctor had clearly stated that her chances of survival would be low the more her treatment was pushed back. The family initially struggled to get her hospitalised due to unavailability of beds, and when they finally did, they realised they had no financial resources to pool in for her treatment.
Kalpana's 3 daughters
Unaware at first, she is now struggling to come to terms with her diagnosis
Kalpana and her niece, Kiran, scrambled to get the child her first cycle of chemotherapy, but it took a huge toll on her body and she is dealing with severe side-effects from the treatment, including extreme fatigue, sleeplessness, and bleeding. After a bone marrow biopsy, it was determined that the only way she can beat cancer is by undergoing a bone marrow transplant.“We’d initially kept her diagnosis from her hoping to avoid any mental strain it would give her. But she overheard the doctor say it, and since then she hasn’t been herself. She has become easily irritable and cries a lot. She tries to keep herself distracted with her paintings, but is often unsuccessful. She needs 4 chemotherapy cycles before she can undergo bone marrow transplant, but the cost alone puts us at a huge disadvantage. How are we, a bunch of slum dwellers with menial jobs, supposed to afford such an expensive procedure?” - Kiran
Her father spends most of his money on alcohol, while her mother tries to make ends meet
Kalpana’s family hails from a slum colony in Jaipur. Shankar, her husband, drives a rented rickshaw in Jaipur, and earns about INR 15,000 a month. Although he pitches in for the family’s needs, he spends most of his income on alcohol. His family has tried to make him quit several times but to no avail. So eventually, Kalpana had to become the family’s breadwinner. She works as a domestic help and earns about INR 5,000 a month, to provide for her children. Meanwhile, Kalpana's niece, Kiran, has been looking after her children's education, and supporting them in their difficult times.
“My child’s health is extremely delicate right now. She and I have been put up in a seperate rented room as she needs to be in isolation to prevent any infections that could aggravate her condition. So far, we have used up all our savings, sold our jewellery and even borrowed loans to pay off the medical bills. We’ve gone above and beyond our capacity, and now there is just no way for us to put together another 25 lakh rupees towards her transplant. We just want this nightmare to end, so we can have our healthy little girl back with us.” - Kalpana
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Identity of the child is protected in adherence to government guidelines.
