Shivraj misses his two brothers a lot. When he’s at home, he sleeps holding his twin’s t-shirt, sometimes just staring at the toys that the three of them used to play with. Shivraj doesn’t cry because he’s still in shock – his older brother (9) and twin both died of the same liver disease, within one week of each other. Shivraj now has the same disease that killed his brothers.

“The last 4 months have been a blur. I just can’t believe that all three of our children got the same disease… It killed our other two children so quickly. We know Shivraj doesn’t have time without a liver transplant. We haven’t even grieved our children’s death yet and now…” – Shankar, father

A deafening silence is all they have left

Shankar and Pushpa’s ordeal began 4 months ago when two of their children were diagnosed with liver disease. They both had the same symptoms, and after one month of the diagnosis, they passed away. Shivraj was diagnosed with liver disease nearly a month ago – he had a fever, yellowness in his eyes, a swollen stomach. This means he doesn’t have much time left.

“Pushpa has stopped eating. She doesn’t sleep and barely speaks now. Our house is suddenly so quiet. Just a few months ago, we had three healthy children running around, playing, fighting, laughing... our lives… everything is gone. Shivraj is all we have left now.”

Their entire village is praying for these devastated parents

Shankar, a daily wager, has already spent over 2 lakhs till now for all 3 of his children. Every hospital visit now for Shivraj costs him at least Rs. 10,000. He’s managed so far because his entire village near Nanded, Maharashtra, came together to help him save his son.

“Everyone gave me whatever little they could, and that has helped us a lot! It’s humbling to see how many people come to help you when you need it… they told us they don’t want us to lose another child. We’re very grateful to them, but despite everything they’ve done, it’s not enough to afford his liver transplant. Medicines can’t save him any longer.”

Shivraj is running out of time. He’s critical and only a liver transplant can save him, and he needs it soon. Shankar and Pushpa have already lost too much, they can’t lose their only remaining child too. We can’t take away the pain of losing his brothers, but we can help Shivraj fight this disease – a chance his brothers didn’t get.