Venkatesh has lost a lot in the past few years – his house, all his savings and even came close to losing his job. But this is nothing in comparison to what he could lose now – his 9-year-old son. Little Raju is very sick. He needs a bone marrow transplant at the earliest to survive, but Venkatesh has nothing left with him.
“I sold our house. I was so desperate to continue his treatment that I sold the house for whatever price they offered. I know I got cheated, but it was the only way I could keep my son alive. Now even the blood he gets is not enough.” – Venkatesh
Raju has started asking questions now, and his parents have nothing to say
Raju was only a baby when he was diagnosed with thalassemia. His body produces fewer red blood cells, so he had to get blood transfusions every 3 months. But as he grew, the frequency increased. Soon, he needed it every 20 days. That’s when Venkatesh and Bhulaxmi knew that his condition was deteriorating.“We couldn’t keep up with the weekly expenses. That’s when we sold the house and started living in a small room. I even worked overtime. Raju never asked a lot of questions, but now he’s older. He knows that going to the hospital is every week is not normal, especially when all his friends are going to school.”
Going to school, playing or even sitting for too long is no longer possible for him
It’s been a year since Raju went to school. He misses it every day. But going to school, playing or even sitting for too long is no more possible for Raju. He gets tired often. He wants to do everything he used to, but he just can’t anymore. Every trip to the hospital costs them more than Rs. 3000. Venkatesh works in a factory and earns Rs. 8,000 every month. He is already 8 lakh in debt.“I need 22 lakhs to save my son. Where will I get that kind of money? It feels like his suffering is never-ending.”