“I had just a glimpse of him and I wish I had been on that bed instead of him. I can’t see him like this. So many tubes and injections. All those big machines around. What is happening to him? How can a child that came back from school with a mild fever suddenly be fighting death? -Gouspeer, father

 
In a village in Andhra, 12-year-old Mubarak was living a happy life. He loved going to school, more than anything. Pampered by all, he was the happiest child. One day, however, he was sent back home from school. It was a mild fever. The parents gave him tablets and put him to sleep. They were surprised he even got a fever for he was a healthy child. But it did not stop at that.

His fever subsided, only to get worse a day later

“On the third day, his fever subsided and he was back to normal. He was going to go to school the next day. But again, his fever shot up. He couldn’t eat; he couldn’t breathe. He vomited all that he ate and that’s when we got scared. My child has never fallen sick before.”– Rizwana.

“They said he won’t survive but did not tell us what the illness was”

When Mubarak started to feel suffocated, the parents rushed him to a nearby hospital. He was immediately put on saline. The lab results came in and the count of his blood cells had decreased. They were suggested to head to a hospital in Tirupathi. But dreadful news waited for them there. They shuttled from hospital to hospital and every hospital they went to told them Mubarak could not be saved. Nobody told them why. The parents were devastated and afraid.

“It was only a mild fever but they started talking about chances of survival. We couldn’t understand what was happening. It was all happening too fast. Finally, in one of the hospitals they said he had the dengue fever. They said it had become very serious. He needed a ventilator to survive but the hospital did not have the facilities. We rushed to Chennai that very night and got him admitted at 2 in the morning! The ambulance journey was the most terrifying. Was our soft-spoken boy in pain?” -Gouspeer, father. 

Mubarak is fighting a case of severe dengue and his organs are affected

Mubarak was diagnosed with a severe case of dengue. He got unconscious and was shifted to the ICU immediately and is now on ventilator support. Because of the severity, all of his other organs are affected – the kidneys the most.  There’s been a lot of blood loss and his treatment has had no effect. Currently, he is on blood dialysis.

Having lost a son already, the parents are afraid of losing Mubarak too

"What if history repeats itself? Years ago, my 1st son died just 40 days after he was born. He too got a fever and became unconscious. The next thing we knew, we had lost him. After all these years, I still have nightmares about him. But now, I’m afraid it will come true, again. This time, with Mubarak. I can’t even think of it. Every time I hear a child cry or scream, my heart skips a beat. I can’t bear to think what my son might be going through! Why is he being punished?” – Rizwana.

 
Mubarak needs a few more weeks on ventilator, as the treatment goes on. The cost of the treatment and supportive care amounts to 10 lakhs and the parents don’t know where to get it from.

His father, a tailor, is struggling to raise funds for his treatment

 
Gouspeer is a tailor who works from within his house. He’s the only earning member of his family and earns close to Rs 10,000 a month. Theirs is a hand-to-mouth existence. They’ve managed the expenses so far with the help of family and friends and are now helpless with no other sources left.

“Our life runs because I pedal away from morning till night. Now suddenly, Mubarak is fighting for life and I feel helpless. What if I can’t save my son because I do not have the money? Please save him! Please spare us a lifetime of grief!” - Gouspeer.

This family has already lost a son and are now struggling to save their only son. Your generous contribution can help them.