“The 10 minutes that we get with her in the ICU is the only thing I look forward to. If she’s awake, we call out to her and she looks at us, smiling. I can't help but wonder how long she has. Her oxygen levels are only at 40% and she's sliping away from us."

As Sanjeev and Mala pace around the waiting area outside the ICU, their only thoughts are with their 3-month-old baby girl who wakes up every day to the silence of the hospital, instead of the voices and warm embraces of her parents. Vagmi’s little heart is giving up on her. The oxygen support isn’t enough to sustain her for long, and she needs an urgent heart surgery to survive. 

They never thought her life will be consumed by a life-threatening disease

While Vagmi is within the confines of the hospital, her twin, Vinayak, shuffles in his crib back home in Lucknow. Sanjeev and Mala are torn, they can’t stand to stay away from either baby, but their only focus is to save their baby girl and take her home so that their twins can be together again.

“I think our baby boy can sense that something is wrong. He's always crying now, but the three months after their birth were the happiest time for us. The twins are a handful, but every day we were learning something new. Our day began and ended with them, they're everything to us."

Every breath is a struggle for Baby Vagmi

Earlier this month, baby Vagmi started gasping for breath. Their seemingly normal baby was shockingly diagnosed with a serious heart defect. Vagmi has congenital heart disease, a condition in which there’s no regular blood flow from her heart to her lungs, making it extremely difficult for her to breathe. A surgery is her only chance to survive this disease and get completely cured.

Oxygen support isn’t enough to keep her going any longer

In the 20 days that baby Vagmi has been in the ICU, she has been living on oxygen support and numerous medicines. Now, even that’s not enough to keep her alive. However, in the midst of her suffering, there's a sliver of hope - since her condition was detected early on, she can be saved, but her parents don’t have the means to pay 3 lakhs for her surgery.

“We get to see her only between 4 30 and 5 30 pm every day, and not for long. She’s very vulnerable to any infection, so being around her for too long can be dangerous for her. No matter how badly we want to see her, we have to think of her needs before ours. She needs surgery as early as today, but I still don’t know how I’m going to afford it. I will never forgive myself if our financial constraint is the reason we lose our baby.”

Sanjeev works as a science and math teacher in a small school in Lucknow. He not only has to worry about paying for her surgery, but the burden of piling medical bills still rest on his shoulders. Sanjeev and Mala’s life is now filled with darkness. Their worries are endless as they inch closer to their greatest fear – losing their baby girl forever.

How You Can Help

Vagmi needs the heart surgery today, without which, she doesn’t have long to live. Timely treatment can ensure that she’s completely cured of the dangerous heart disease. Vagmi’s oxygen levels are as low as 40% and oxygen support could only take her this far. Sanjeev and Mala are desperate to save their baby girl but are falling short. They need your help to give their daughter a life-saving surgery.

Your support will save baby Vagmi’s life.