It was a usual day for Meena when she was making tea for herself when suddenly her dupatta (a long piece of cloth worn around the neck) caught fire from the burner of the gas oven. Before she could take it off, the fire started spreading fast because she was wearing synthetic clothes. 60% of her body was burnt because of this but unfortunately, there was no one to take her to the hospital when this happened.
 

“I came back from office about 3 hours later to find her like this. I dropped my bag and immediately took her to the hospital. She was in so much pain that she could hardly talk. She was having trouble to breathe as well. As I sat beside her on the ambulance and held her hand, I prayed that she makes it to the hospital” - Varsha Keshwani (daughter). 

We’ve lost our father to cancer last year, there's no way we can lose her

Varsha and her 17-year-old brother, Naveen lost their father last year. He was suffering from end-stage lung cancer and there was hardly anything the family could do to save him.
 

“We were slowly recovering from father’s death, getting back to the normal life. It was difficult for us but we were trying. And in between all of this, Ma met with this accident. I can sense the fear and worry in my brother’s eyes - I try to stay strong but it is getting more and more difficult now.” 

She has always been a pillar of strength for us, now I want to do everything to save her

Meena (52) needs regular dressing or else she runs the risk of getting deadly infections. She is in a lot of pain and can’t sleep because of that. She can hardly eat anything - she sips little water with great difficulty. Meena is responding to the treatment but she needs to stay in the ICU for at least a month. She also needs surgery.

“Whenever she sees me, she holds my hand and cries. She has always been a pillar of strength for our family, to see her like this breaks my heart.” 

Varsha has exhausted her savings and her mother’s insurance cover, yet it’s not enough

For a long time now, Varsha has been taking care of her family. She works in a private company that provides housing loan. She makes around Rs 22,000 a month but a major portion of her salary is being spent on Naveen’s education. Since last month, when Meena’s accident took place, Varsha has already spent a lot. She has used up her savings and taken a loan of 1 lakh at work. Meena’s insurance covered about 6 lakhs of the expenses but she would need around 10 lakhs more for her treatment.  

A very old photo of Meena with Varsha and her friends - something that Varsha holds onto as she prays for her mother's recovery

How you can help

Varsha and Naveen have been taking turns to stay at the hospital with their mother. The brother and sister have shifted to a Dharamsala near the hospital. Naveen, who is sitting for his board exams this year, prepares his lessons in the hospital while Varsha does the running around - from bills to medicines, she takes care of everything. 24-year-old Varsha has no one else to turn to for help except you. With your generous contribution, she can save her mother.

Varsha is doing everything in her capacity to save her mother, Meena, from 60% burn injuries but it's not enough. She is looking to you for help