"We used to go for regular check-ups. Now that we are old, we try to make sure we stay safe in every way we can. It was in one such check-up last year that we found out Saraswathi has breast cancer. It was obviously big, bad news-- something we were not prepared to hear," 74 year-old Harikumar recollects the day his wife's diagnosis had caught them off guard.

The longest 1 year of Saraswathi's life.

64-year-old Saraswathi and her husband had to start treatment before they could completely understand what had come upon them.
"We have not faced a crisis like this before, but with the help and constant support of my children, we started the treatment. It was definitely difficult, but we had some savings and we also had a medical insurance, which helped us a lot. The cycles of chemotherapy started, and continued. Saraswathi bravely battled her way through, making things easier for all of us, never forgetting to smile."

An unexpected infection:

It was in March this year that Saraswathi suddenly developed an infection. A test showed that it was a reaction to a particular injection that was part of her treatment procedure. It was another unexpected emergency, and this time there were no preemptive shelters to run under. The couple were on the verge of exhausting their savings and their insurance cover.
"95% of the treatment was over. She had been responding well. At that point, an infection caught us off-guard. She had to be shifted to the ICU for 10 days. I had nothing left after the year-long treatment. I ran from pillar to post trying to get together the funds needed for the treatment of that infection. I had to borrow from our friends as well."

Why you should help:

Saraswathi is just a few steps away from a cancer-free life. She needs to take tablets instead of the injection that caused the infection. The tablets for a round of chemotherapy would cost Rs. 2,02,432 (a little over 2 lakh).
After having exhausted most of their network, and funds, they are now out of means to undergo the last few steps.
"It's Cancer. I cannot complete the chemotherapy and rejoice right away. We will still need to follow up and undergo tests which would still cost me some money. For the past one year, our family has come to a standstill."

Hariharan wants nothing more than to save his wife so they can be there for each other during this stage of their life. Saraswathi is a fighter. She has battled cancer, and is on the threshold of emerging victorious.
You could gift this elderly couple some more years of togetherness!