Cancer at any age is hard, but for a teenager, it is unimaginable. Especially when it is for the second time. It strips you of every dream and leaves you empty. You are too young to fight cancer all alone but old enough to know that you have to protect your family from worrying about you all the time. The playroom in the cancer ward is for younger kids, the other side of the ward is the older people share their family stories. You don't belong anywhere and feel that you are the only 'teen' to go through this. 'Why me?' keeps haunting you. Nishita is no exception to this. She does not feel 16 anymore.

She aspires to be a police officer one day

Nishita was diagnosed with cancer in December 2017 following high fever and severe body pain. She had chemo cycles for 4 months after which she was declared cancer free. She was tired and weak but that did not stop her from working hard. She had only one thought in mind- to become a police officer like her grandfather. After her exams, she was busy applying for colleges, meeting her friends. Despite all this, she never missed her monthly check-ups. When her exam results came out she felt close to her dreams, she has scored 93.6% but the next day she also got her medical reports revealing that her cancer has relapsed.

"We have no strength to discuss cancer with her. She doesn't say anything about it too but she asks a lot of questions to the doctors. She knows that this time it is severe and she needs a bone marrow transplant to recover. She was so excited about starting college but now she has no energy for anything. She hardly eats and sleeps. We do not know how to comfort her, " - Ronika, Mother

Nishita with her grandfather

Her father is still in debt after her first treatment

Rajeev has a small grocery in Agra and with his meagre income, he takes care of his wife, 4 daughters and his elderly father too. When Nishita was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, he spent nearly 10 lakhs by selling his small piece of land and borrowing from his friends. He has not paid it back and now he needs 25 lakhs for the treatment. He fears that he'll lose his daughter without help.

"She had so many dreams, she was so proud that she survived cancer, relapse came as a big shock to her. She always tell us that one day, she'll become a police officer and make us proud. She is trying to be brave in front of us but I know how she feels inside. She is crying in silence , I can't bear this, please help me save her,"  - Rajeev

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