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“We had a tough time saving up money for her regular blood transfusions earlier, but now we are completely tight on funds. We are going through the worst period of our lives – we don’t even have money for food. All our children are starving, as a result. Sometimes the neighbours show mercy and feed the children, and other times we're just helpless.” – Savitri, mother.
Sanjana in better times, with her elder sister and grandmotherSanjana is Savitri and Sunil’s fourth child. She has five siblings, and they are a family of nine, including her parents and grandmother. Poverty is not new to them, but spending money to keep Sanjana alive till now has completely torn them down financially. The whole family is fighting hunger and are unable to lead normal lives.
Without a transplant, this blood disorder may prove fatal for this little girl
Sanjana is suffering from aplastic anemia, a condition in which her body has stopped producing new blood cells. She is weak and often falls unconscious. But those are just the mild symptoms. Sometimes, she bleeds continuously from her nose and mouth. Her siblings are horrified by the sight; and even Sanjana feels afraid of her own body when this happens.
“We took her to clinics which were affordable for us, but nobody could tell us what was happening. All this had started with a mild tooth ache, which we did not give importance to at first. Now doctors say she is in a critical condition and needs something called a bone marrow transplant which costs lakhs and lakhs of rupees.” – Sunil.
Without stable jobs, these parents are running out of money and hope
Sunil used to work as a daily wager, farming and tilling others’ land. But since March of this year, he has been jobless. The family has been dependent on vegetables that they grow in their small garden at home for food. But now, even that is not enough to feed them all. Sunil had to borrow almost INR 40,000 to take Sanjana to Mumbai, from their hometown in Palghar. Now, he is left with nothing.“When the doctor said that her transplant would cost INR 22 lakhs, I had decided we would pack our bags and go back home. Because poor people like us cannot even think about that kind of money. But the doctor convinced us to stay back and they would try and help us. I hope you understand our plight. We just want to save our daughter, and cannot do it without your support.” – Sunil.
