Help Sylvia Undergo Total Knee Replacement To Get Back On Her | Milaap
Help Sylvia Undergo Total Knee Replacement To Get Back On Her Feet
  • Sylvia

    Created by

    Sylvia Rodrigues
  • SR

    This fundraiser will benefit

    Sylvia Rodrigues

    from Mumbai, Maharashtra

I’m here today to seek your support in financing a Total Knee Replacement for my neighbor and friend Ms. Sylvia Rodrigues. 

She is 36 years of age and has had to deal with the trauma of being a child fully able to walk and run, to subsequently being crippled due to faulty medical treatment at the tender age of 8. Here is a glimpse into the life of a person who had every reason to be upset at the troubles life through her way, but was so spirited that she not only determinedly defied the odds time and again, while constantly trying to help the people and community around her.


The onset


Sylvia suffers from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, a type of arthritis that causes joint inflammation and stiffness. While she was a bubbly child and an extremely enthusiastic student, she was affected with jaundice which was mistreated and resulted in this condition. 

Having come from a family who had limited financial means, she was unable to take any corrective measures in the short term following the misdiagnoses and this meant that she gradually was unable to walk. Her joints begun to contort and simple tasks like grasping became impossible. What followed, were trying times…
  • Needing assistance for daily activities, such as eating and the likes.
  • Her family having to carry her to school on foot, as she was determined not to let her education be disrupted
  • Watching the other children play and run, being told that such activity was undoubtedly out of the question for her 


Her ardent willpower


These circumstances, so excruciating as they seem, were a reality for her. Her will however, was unfailing amidst the frustration and hurt that went down at the time. She willed herself to walk although she would have to be bent and her bones would hurt. She started tutoring underprivileged children in the vicinity, so she didn’t let the talents she possessed go to waste. She encouraged us all to persevere despite the odds (although our odds weren’t as difficult as hers). She forced herself to be independent and also went on to assist her ailing mother, who is no more today.


A shimmer of hope


After many years of managing herself despite being bent in posture, she was able to undergo a Bilateral Hamstring Release of both legs, in Sancheti Hospital (Pune) in 2007. She started walking in a straight posture compared to the tilted position; with erect legs, but unable to bend because the patella of her knee had deteriorated since the age of 8yrs. That surgery however, was only temporary, as the doctor’s advised that she was too young for a Total Knee Replacement (TKR) at the time and it could only be undertaken at a later stage as her joints would inevitably deteriorate due to her illness.


A lasting impression


It’s been 10 years since she underwent the Hamstring Release surgery and after consistent medication and regular 6 monthly check-ups, examinations have revealed that the knee caps have are severely impacted.  Given her age, the doctors have advised Total Knee Replacement for both knees. Her sister, her sole caregiver as she has lost both parents, is not placed to be able to come up with such a huge sum. Medical insurance too has not been possible with the early onset of her condition. Hence this humble request.


The damages


The costs for the surgeries and the post-operative treatment will amount to approximately INR 8,00,000/- (Rupees Eight Lakh Only).

I urge you to please contribute generously. It’s been a very challenging ride for her and I hope through your contribution she can once again find her footing

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