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|Last year at this time, my life was going places. I was 22, I had finished college, and I had just begun working at Amazon at a job I loved. I had friends I traveled with and had an active social life. My parents were proud of the way my career was shaping up|
But slowly I could feel a change coming. This was not something going wrong with anyone or anything outside of me, but an internal change. I was not feeling well. I would have a persistent low-grade fever for days, be well for a week, and then the fever would return. After a day at the office, I would be too tired to stand or sit; I would go straight to bed. Then I began to get splitting headaches. When I finally went to the doctor, he asked me to take a battery of tests, and my diagnosis came. I had dual conditions: Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, and Acute Myeloid Leukemia
I was diagnosed in December 2017. Since then, I have battled enormous physical pain in phases, and chronic fatigue and exhaustion. In addition to that, I have had to quit working, because I missed so many days because of my poor health. This means that the very expensive treatment for my illnesses is getting more and more difficult to pay for. Worry and anxiety have become my constant companions.
I have had four rounds of chemotherapy, each more painful than the last, with about a week of hospital stay for each cycle. To keep my blood cell count as close to normal as possible, I have been given blood transfusions three times. I am on antivirals and antibacterials, and I have to take a literal fistful of medicines every night before I go to sleep, only I do not sleep well, and wake many times in the night. I think of my life, and the lives of other 23-year-olds, and I give thanks that I am alive.
No matter how much the pain, my oncologist is happy with my body’s response to the chemotherapy. My cancer can be fully cured if I can get a bone marrow transplant. This will cost Rs. 30 lakhs - 50 Lakhs, a huge sum for me, especially because I haven’t worked for months. My parents are elderly and live frugally. My treatment has already used up our savings as well as a small payout from a health insurance plan I had. To get better, to give life a chance, my only hope is to crowdfund for my treatment.
I am reaching out to you because with your help I can recover from the killer disease I am suffering from. I want to get well and be a useful, productive individual who makes some contribution to his community. I want to see the world.
But slowly I could feel a change coming. This was not something going wrong with anyone or anything outside of me, but an internal change. I was not feeling well. I would have a persistent low-grade fever for days, be well for a week, and then the fever would return. After a day at the office, I would be too tired to stand or sit; I would go straight to bed. Then I began to get splitting headaches. When I finally went to the doctor, he asked me to take a battery of tests, and my diagnosis came. I had dual conditions: Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, and Acute Myeloid Leukemia
I was diagnosed in December 2017. Since then, I have battled enormous physical pain in phases, and chronic fatigue and exhaustion. In addition to that, I have had to quit working, because I missed so many days because of my poor health. This means that the very expensive treatment for my illnesses is getting more and more difficult to pay for. Worry and anxiety have become my constant companions.
I have had four rounds of chemotherapy, each more painful than the last, with about a week of hospital stay for each cycle. To keep my blood cell count as close to normal as possible, I have been given blood transfusions three times. I am on antivirals and antibacterials, and I have to take a literal fistful of medicines every night before I go to sleep, only I do not sleep well, and wake many times in the night. I think of my life, and the lives of other 23-year-olds, and I give thanks that I am alive.
No matter how much the pain, my oncologist is happy with my body’s response to the chemotherapy. My cancer can be fully cured if I can get a bone marrow transplant. This will cost Rs. 30 lakhs - 50 Lakhs, a huge sum for me, especially because I haven’t worked for months. My parents are elderly and live frugally. My treatment has already used up our savings as well as a small payout from a health insurance plan I had. To get better, to give life a chance, my only hope is to crowdfund for my treatment.
I am reaching out to you because with your help I can recover from the killer disease I am suffering from. I want to get well and be a useful, productive individual who makes some contribution to his community. I want to see the world.
Yours sincerely,
Yashraj
