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“This disease has destroyed my child inside out. So small, frail and weak, he looks smaller than he is. He’s been through a lot, these past 8 years. ‘Mama, when will this end? When will it stop?’, he often asks me and I never have an answer. Now, his kidneys are failing and I could lose him because of our inability to afford his treatment” - Samidhi, mother
He’s suffered all his life from many health issues
Devesh was born premature, in Samidhi’s 7th month of pregnancy, weighing only 730 grams. As he got older, a multitude of health-related issues have hindered his growth and development, including a problem with his retina that subjected him to wearing spectacles. Now, the hospital has basically become his second home.“As soon as he was born, they found a lump near his stomach. We were told it was a hernia and he would need surgery to remove it, but we were advised to wait until he was a bit older. 3 years ago, we had taken him for an ultrasound just before he was due for his surgery, and there they found a problem in his kidney. I was absolutely gutted. We’d been there for a completely different reason, but here they were telling us that our son’s kidney was failing... ” - Samidhi
His kidneys are rapidly failing, he needs continued treatment to survive
8-year-old Devesh was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease, or chronic liver failure, a condition that progresses over time and results in the kidneys’ failure to function properly. He has been on medication and treatment all this time. He undergoes dialysis thrice a week and has to be administered some injections every other day.“Last year during the pandemic, he became visibly thin and sick. He wasn’t as energetic and lively and neither was he able to attend his classes. We couldn’t go to the hospital until after the lockdown eased this year and we learned that his haemoglobin levels had dropped drastically, while his creatine levels were extremely high. He had to be admitted at the hospital twice…” - Samidhi
They’ve exhausted everything they had and can’t afford the rest of his treatment
While his treatment is in progress, Devesh has been in talks to get a kidney transplant sometime in the future. He is undergoing tests and such to determine a matched donor. Meanwhile, his hernia still persists but it is not an immediate threat to his life. Only after his condition has stabilized can they operate on him.Even so, his current treatment has been extremely on his parents’ pockets. They’ve used every last rupee they had, and are now struggling to keep going. Devesh’s father, Sandip, works as a small employee at a private shipping company, while his mother quit her job, 3 years ago, to stay by his side and take care of him. They live in a joint family, with Sandip and his elder brother as the only earning members.
“With each day that passes by, the fear of losing my son to the dreadful disease that he suffers from only intensifies. So far, we've managed to spend over 5 lakh rupees towards his treatment with help from my brother, but it is nowhere near enough. The rest of his treatment will cost us at least 9.5 lakh rupees, and I cannot even begin to imagine how much his transplant might cost us in the future. Devesh is our only child, and we’d do everything in our power to save him. But with no money left, I don’t know how....” - Sandip, father
Sandip and Samidhi need your help to save their first and only child, Devesh, from the grips of this kidney disease that is slowly claiming his life. Your contribution can give him a long and happy life.
