3-Year-Old With Cancer Needs Treatment, Her Father Begs For Help

Story

“We don’t have a place to stay here in Chennai. But my daughter still needs chemotherapy for the next few months, that’s the only way she can survive. I am so helpless, I have no place to go, no money to afford my daughter’s treatment - how will I save her?” - Raju breaks into tears as he says this.

His 3-year-old daughter, Isha, is fighting cancer. He has been struggling very hard, trying everything in his means to make her feel better. But now it has become impossible for Raju to continue the treatment.

I felt the lump and I was scared - this was not normal

Moushumi, Isha’s mother, was bathing her when she noticed a lump on the left side of Isha's stomach. The swelling was hard, Moushumi got scared. The anxious parents wasted no time to take their daughter to the doctor. Test results revealed that Isha has a cancerous tumour in her left kidney. The little one had to undergo a surgery but she is still not cured. She needs continued treatment.

“It appeared out of nowhere and now this tumour has ruined all our lives. We were happy with whatever we had, Isha was the best thing that could have happened to us. Now it feels like God wants to take her away from us,” - Moushumi.

‘Maa don’t leave me alone’ - Isha begs

Little Isha is scared when she sees everyone around her being given injections. Their head has been shaved, Isha asks her mother if they will do that to her too.

“I have nothing to tell her. My little girl clings on to me when the doctors come for her routine checkup. She hides her face and keeps begging me to not leave her. It is just horrible to see your child go through so much.”

We don’t have a roof above our head, how can I save my daughter?

Raju is a daily wager in a small town In North Bengal. He made just about enough to run his family. One month ago, when he had come to Chennai to get his daughter treated, he had brought his entire savings with him. He had even booked themselves a room in a hotel nearby.

“But the costs are increasing with every passing day, I can't afford to stay in the hotel. My wife and I have been sleeping on the hospital floor, fearing that the security guard would drive us away. I have already spent nearly 2 lakhs and I need 7 more. How will I arrange for that when I can’t afford a roof over our heads or sometimes even our daily meals?" - Raju.