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“I had only ever heard of cancer, never seen it and what it could do to a person with my own eyes. I knew it was dangerous, that it could kill even the strongest people. We’re poor and not well-educated, and we never knew even children could be affected by cancer. But by some cruel twist of fate, now I have been forced to watch my 1-year-old suffer because of this dreadful disease…” - Morina, mother
She had painful swelling in her hands and legs
Musfika was only 10 months old when she was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer called Ewing Sarcoma. It is cancer of the bone and may sometimes also occur in the soft tissues around the bones in the form of a mass, or tumor. The little girl developed some swelling around the joints in her hands and legs that limited her movement and caused her a lot of pain.“She wasn’t able to move properly, and she wouldn’t let us touch her hands or legs to even get a closer look. The swelling looked really serious, her legs worse than her hands, and we immediately took her to a local hospital. There they said, they would have to amputate her legs if the swelling didn’t reduce. We were horrified at the doctor’s words, and begged them to give us an alternative solution…” - Minarul, father
Her cancer won’t spread, but it poses a threat to her life
These distraught parents were asked to take their daughter to a bigger and more equipped hospital that could help her. So, from their hometown in Kolkata, the family rushed to a specialty hospital in Bangalore, where they were finally able to determine the cause of Musfika’s pain. Soon after her diagnosis, they began to administer her treatment - 6 cycles of chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells.Thankfully, Musfika’s cancer is non-metastatic, which means it is unlikely to invade and destroy healthy body tissue. But that doesn’t mean she’s out of danger. This cancer could take her life, unless she undergoes proper treatment - treatment, that is extremely expensive for her parents to afford.
She needs continued treatment, but it is beyond her parents’ means
Musfika has undergone 5 cycles of chemotherapy so far, and is due for her last one soon. The pain and swelling in her limbs has also reduced drastically. After her initial treatment, she will have to go through a screening to decide on whether she will need surgery or more cycles of chemotherapy to rid her of cancer.Even so, the medical expenses are rather exorbitant and beyond her parents’ capacity to bear. Minarul is a farmer and makes a monthly income of only INR 4,000, while Morina is a homemaker. Their family of 4 depends on Minarul’s meagre earnings to get by. In such a state, it is impossible for them to meet their daughter’s piling hospital bills.
“I have only been able to afford her treatment so far with help from my relatives. If it weren’t for them, I dread to think that my daughter would have not been with us right now. At the age where she’s supposed to be hitting her milestones and living a happy childhood, she’s fighting for her life from such a dangerous disease. It pains me to see her suffering, but I feel so helpless. With no money in my pocket, how will I save my daughter? - Minarul, father
Musfika’s treatment will cost her parents a whopping INR 8 lakh. They are financially unstable and can barely afford a meal a day. They want to save their daughter but without the money for her treatment, they are failing miserably. You can help them with your generous contributions. Click here to donate.
