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“My baby’s cries of pain ring in my ears… they do not let me sleep at night. I lay awake thinking about ways to end his suffering… I wish I was able to arrange enough money for his treatment. But being a daily wager with no savings, this is next to impossible for me. I am ready to give up my life for my child, I just want him to be alright.” - Harun Mia, father.
Harun Mia and his wife, Hasna Bibi, belong to a remote village in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar. They do not have a solid, cemented roof under their heads nor food to put on the table, three times every day.
Despite these harsh realities, they have come all the way from their hometown to Chennai with their baby, Ishan, to save him from the clutches of a rare disease called langerhans cell histiocytosis. This condition is similar to cancer and causes immune cells in the body to overproduce and attack the body instead of fighting off infections.
‘Our baby had all kinds of bizarre symptoms…we had never seen anything like this before’
Baby Ishan Hossian was born healthy and spent more than 2 months of his life living like a normal infant – drinking milk and growing well as usual. But after this point, his health started deteriorating. He suddenly stopped suckling, had problems passing stool, and most shocking of all – had red spots appearing on all parts of his body.“The red spots turned into huge red rashes gradually. His sharp, loud cries began to replace his soft babbles. We took him to many doctors in our area, but nobody could tell us the reason why all this was happening. Earlier, he would find solace lying in my lap – but now even that has made him cranky.” - Hasna Bibi.
Prolonged chemotherapy can save Ishan, but his parents have no way to fund it
After someone in their village advised them to take their little one to Chennai, Harun Mia and Hasna Bibi did as told after borrowing some money from near and dear ones. It was in Chennai that they got to know that their baby had a rare disease akin to cancer and needed chemotherapy. They begged and borrowed again to get him on a few cycles but have absolutely no way to continue his treatment.
“I wish I could sell any of my organs… that is the only way I can make money now. I don’t know how else I can save my son before his condition worsens. Poor people like us don't have a lot of options available to them. I am begging you to help me save my baby boy. Please. We are already in heavy debt now.” - Harun Mia.
With your kind help, these poor parents can save their baby boy from the clutches of this rare disease.
