On New Year’s this year, my son Sri Sharan turned six. He wanted to play with balloons and eat lots of chocolates, instead he was suffering. How could my poor baby enjoy his birthday when a tube had to be inserted into his body at regular intervals? Sri Sharan has to undergo painful dialysis every day because of a liver and kidney that was diagnosed late.

In less than 20 days, his kidneys failed and no medicine could make him better

I still remember the day it all started -- November 27, 2017. Sri Sharan transformed from a healthy 5-year-old into a sickly boy who vomited away everything. This was only the beginning of what was to come. The paediatrician who had been treating him for these 20 days suggested that we do a comprehensive scan after the initial diagnosis of ‘digestive’ problems and consequent medication did not make him feel better.

 His body had also started swelling. Tests after tests at the Global Hospital in Chennai revealed something we had never imagined: Kidney failure. I remember looking at his small, frail body, wondering what he did to deserve this." -Surya, Sri Sharan's mother

Dialysis had become a cruel everyday ritual

 He was immediately put on dialysis – but this did little to make the situation better and in fact, it made it worse. He started having fits because of an infection and we had to switch the dialysis from the left kidney to the right. When the infection persisted, it was shifted back to the right kidney. I saw Sri Sharan wince in pain through all this and was determined to find out the cause. Whenever he enters the dialysis room, he starts shivering. He has even fainted once, from both pain and exhaustion.

Dialysis is not a long-term solution for his serious condition

A genetic analysis conducted at Bangalore concluded that he had a rare genetic disease of the liver caused by an absent enzyme. The doctors told us clearly that a liver transplant was the only way my son could survive. His kidneys are failing at a dangerous pace and other organs are also at the risk of meeting the same fate if the transplant surgery is not done immediately. He needs dialysis every alternate day now. Sometimes, his haemoglobin count dips so drastically that he needs urgent blood transfusions. His blood group (B negative) is rare and we have almost lost him on many occasions because we were unable to arrange for blood on time.

Our irregular income is stopping us from giving our son the best medical care

My husband, Raja, repairs computers for a living and so our monthly income is never fixed; he gets between Rs 300 to Rs 500 for a repair, but some days he earns absolutely nothing. I used to be a primary teacher before, but Sri Sharan’s condition demanded that I stay at home and take care of him. His treatment costs have come up to Rs 7 lakh, and we were able to manage that only because of kind family members and friends. But I am not sure we can continue giving Sri Sharan the treatment he deserves without money.

We were once a happy family, but our smiles have disappeared forever

My son finds solace in phone games now as he can't walk properly

The worst part of my day is seeing him trying to get up from bed and walk a bit on his own. He gets tired in no time. He cannot play with other children and has no choice but to watch videos on the phone. I don’t want him to be glued to the phone like this, but I have no choice. He has no hobbies and has even stopped going to school. I want to give him his life back - our life back.

How you can help

As his mother, I am ready to give a part of my liver and subsequently kidney also to him. It will cost us at least Rs 27 lakh. Collecting money from some family members and friends, I have already signed up for some tests to confirm that I am a good match. I am ready to go any extent for my baby, and the only thing that stands between me and this are funds.

I am scared that all organs in my 6-year-old’s body will stop working soon. Please help me give a part of my liver and a kidney to him.