“All my life, people came to me for advice and help, but today I have nobody. I spent years teaching children, guiding my family, and singing in church. I never imagined I would end up here, fighting stage 4 cancer with no savings and no one to depend on but God and kind people who will hear my plea.” — Eric

Eric Peterson, 63, a retired teacher from Kolkata, has spent his life in the service of God. The church became his second home, where his music and faith uplifted countless lives. Though his wife and young son are no longer living with him, Eric never turned bitter—he poured his love into hymns and mentoring children. Today, the man who gave his life to God’s work faces his hardest trial: a deadly battle with kidney cancer. 

A diagnosis that shattered everything

Eric first felt something was wrong in 2022, when blood appeared in his urine. Doctors removed a kidney tumor, but he was never told it was malignant. Without treatment, the cancer spread silently. By this year, it had advanced to stage 4. Now, his body is frail. He survives on a pension of just ₹3,000 a month. His life savings are gone, his health insurance lapsed, and he has no property left. 

“Eric has swelling in his face and legs, difficulty eating, and unrelenting weakness. Yet he faces it all with a smile, refusing to lose hope. His doctors have prescribed one year of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. The treatment will cost lakhs...which is beyond his and our reach.” — Desmond, brother

‘I still go to church, even when I can barely walk’

Despite swelling in his face and legs, constant weakness, and the pain of cancer spreading through his body, Eric still makes his way to church whenever he can. Everyday he battles earaches, headaches, and a growing weakness. The church remains his anchor, where he feels alive and purposeful. When his voice fails, he hums softly with the choir. When his hands tremble too much to play the guitar, he still sits among the children, encouraging them.

“When I sit in church, I feel alive again. I feel like I still have a purpose. Even when I am sick, I find peace in singing. Sometimes I close my eyes and forget the pain for a little while. It keeps me going, even when my body feels like it is giving up.” — Eric

‘Please help me fight this battle’

Eric has always been a man of faith, a man of music, a man who gave without expecting anything in return. Today, he is asking for help—for the chance to live with dignity, to continue singing in his church, and to spend his days in peace.

“I do not know how long I have, but I know I want to live. I want to sing again, to play my guitar, to see the smiles of children in the choir. I believe God has not finished with me yet. But I cannot do it alone. Please, help me fight this battle.” — Eric

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EIN 20-5139364