“He is unconscious most of the time; he does not even open his eyes or look at us. But when he does regain consciousness – even for a minute or two – he begs us to save his life. He thinks he is going to die. We try to console him with soothing words and caress his hair…all with tears in our eyes that he can’t see.”- Muthuselvi, mother.
This poor child’s body is covered in blisters and is swollen all over. His skin is discoloured and painful to the touch. He cannot even rest in a comfortable position due to the pathetic state that he is in. Born prematurely at 7 months old, he is a known case of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare condition which causes weakened immunity and an inability to form clots. The condition went on to trigger deadly bacterial infection in the blood that led to the amputation of his right leg, below the knee.
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Ever since he was diagnosed with the rare condition, he has been monitored for falling platelet levels in his blood. This is because had been admitted for a few days to the ICU as a 1-year-old after his parents found blood in his stools. But over the years, doctors were able to keep his condition from worsening using medicines.
This was until recently when he started complaining of severe leg pain coupled with swelling. He also started having recurrent fevers and stomach aches. He stopped going to school as well. 10 days ago, he was admitted to the ICU because of severe blood infection which has damaged his kidneys and other vital organs too.
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‘He does not know that he has lost a leg…’
“How do we tell a 4-year-old that we had to take one of his legs away? It will break his heart and his spirit. He was such an active kid. He enjoyed dancing so much… he was so happy. He loved cricket and football too. I cannot believe that the same child is lying so helpless in front of us now. Fate is cruel.” – Muthuselvi, tearfully.
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‘Being ordinary farmers, we do not have the means to save his life’
The infection is rapidly spreading in his body, and has the potential to shut down his system if he does not undergo prolonged ICU care. As his family belongs to a primarily agricultural background, they have limited means and are not able to manage his treatment expenses. In this situation, Sankar and Muthuselvi have no way but to turn to you for help in their time of need.“We have lost whatever jewellery and land we possessed. We gave up all our savings. We did everything we could, but it still isn’t enough. His condition is worsening with every passing day. We need your help to save our child. He has come so far despite all the barriers against him. We will not let his body give up on him.” – Sankar, father.
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Identity of the child is protected in adherence to government guidelines.