You can never find 12-year-old Kashish without a big, bright smile on her face. But do not let that mislead you. Though she looks like a normal child, she is suffering from a severe blood disease that puts her in extreme pain every 10 days. During this time, she needs to undergo regular blood transfusions or her condition becomes worse.

“Her stomach and legs start hurting so badly. She refuses to eat and becomes so weak that she can’t even get up from bed. But despite all this suffering, her smile would always be intact. She would tell me, ‘I am okay Mumma. I will be fine’ just to calm me. But the truth is her disease is shortening her life and only a bone marrow transplant can save her,”-Deepa, mother.

‘I wonder what is it like to have a normal life’

Kashish was diagnosed with Thalassemia, a condition where the blood produces lower-than-normal amounts of hemoglobin, at just 3 months old after her body had become pale all over one day. Since then, she has been enduring the pain of needles regularly. Though Kashish goes to school like a normal child, there are so many things that she cannot do – she cannot walk fast or run, she cannot play for long hours and has trouble concentrating. When her blood levels go down, everything just becomes worse. She is in 6th grade, but she looks smaller than her peers due to her condition.

“One day she told me, ‘What is it like to be a normal child Papa? Won’t I be able to dance and run fast and study better? I want to know what that life is like. I am fed up of the constant trips to the hospital.’ She knows a transplant can save her and has her hopes high. How do I tell her it is beyond our reach?”-Narendra, father.

These parents have sold everything they had, but that is not enough

Narendra is a tailor based in Bhopal who used to earn Rs 500 daily. It was just enough to provide for his wife Deepa and three children. He had to shell out a few thousands every month for Kashish's treatment and medication. But recently, after the doctor said that a bone marrow transplant is the only cure for her condition, he has been facing a financial crunch. He had to sell his sewing machine and whatever furniture the family owned to pay for initial screening tests. Now they are left with nothing to pay for the transplant itself.

“We are middle class people. The costs of a bone marrow transplant are completely beyond our reach – no matter what we sell, we will never be able to arrange this amount. Please help us save our daughter,”-Narendra.

With your kind contribution, these parents can gift a new beginning to their daughter whose only dream is to have a normal life