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"Who would ever imagine that when your little girl says she has a headache, that it could be due to a brain tumor?!Though she looks like any other 10-year-old from the outside, that’s exactly what happened to my poor daughter! At the age when she should be playing with her friends, she’s fighting a deadly brain cancer instead!" — Om Prakash, father
In late October, just weeks after her 10th birthday, when little Himakshi went to her parents and told them she had a bad headache and then vomited a few minutes later, they came to a conclusion that any one of us would’ve probably come to given the world we live in today.
“We thought it was probably due to her online classes, because she had started using the phone for long hours. So we got her some simple headache medicines prescribed at a local clinic, and thought that was the end of that. We had no idea...” — Om Prakash, unable to continue
‘My sister died of the same cancer, there’s no time to waste!’
“For the next few weeks her condition just kept getting worse. We got her new spectacles, took her to one clinic after the other. Finally, one doctor suggested we get her a CT scan and it that we saw... we saw that she had a huge tumor in her brain! The doctor told us that we had no time to waste; he told us how his sister had died due to the same cancer, because she hadn’t received treatment in time! We rushed her to a big hospital, and got her surgery done. Once again, we thought that that was the end it, but the doctor told us she could still die if she didn’t get chemotherapy and radiation as well. But the cost!” — Preeti, mother
The cancer is taking a toll on her fragile body
Himakshi has medulloblastoma, a tumor that begins in the brain or spinal cord, mostly affecting the parts of the brain involved in muscle coordination, balance and movement. Though the surgery bought her some time, only a full course of chemotherapy and radiation can fully cure this innocent angel. Moreover, the surgery also caused some severe side-effects like partially paralyzing Himakshi, making her lose her voice, and even making her unable to control her eyes. The poor 10-year-old can only suffer quietly, the cancer taking a toll on her fragile body and leaving her too tired to even sit-up.
You're their only hope now
“I’ve already spent close to 6 lakhs. I’m just a farmer, where am I supposed to arrange the rest of such a huge sum? I’ve tried my best, begging and borrowing as much as I can from anyone who could help me, but it’s still nowhere near enough. You’re my only chance now, the only shot my Himakshi has at recovering from this god-forsaken cancer and coming home to us safe and sound, a happy little girl again!”
