“I feel terrible when I see my daughter (Ishika) crying in pain. I can’t even cry in front of her because I have to be strong. Words cannot express how bad I feel. We’re alone in Mumbai and need to be here for at least 6 months more.” – Supriya, Ishika’s mother.

9-year-old Ishika is now suffering in more pain than before due to the resurfacing of blood cancer. Her only hope of survival is to get additional cycles of intense chemotherapy done. Her mother, Supriya, who has been abandoned by her husband, is struggling to save her daughter.

Ishika’s cancer has resurfaced and is causing more pain

In May 2017, Ishika started experiencing severe pain in different parts of her body. Supriya acted quickly and got Ishika checked up in her home state, Madhya Pradesh. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of blood cancer that spreads quickly and could be fatal very soon.

To get Ishika treated, Supriya moved to Mumbai. Away from home, the 9-year-old fought hard and made significant progress. Her chemotherapy cycle was for 6 months but towards the end, her pain had resurfaced. To make things worse, a recent test proved that the cancer had come back worse than before.



Now, Ishika’s body is very feeble and she’s literally crying in pain every day. Only additional chemotherapy, at a higher dose, can save her life.

“Strong painkillers are of no use because different parts of her body cause her a lot of pain very frequently and she can’t take it. She cries every time because it’s just too much. I can’t watch my child suffer like this so I take her to the hospital where they use injections to numb her pain.” – Supriya

Away from home, Ishika and Supriya are struggling in Mumbai 

The 9-year-old and her mother are alone in Mumbai, far away from home. Due to the lack of funds, they don’t have a fixed place of stay and are constantly moving from one room to the next, wherever they get free stay or cheap rent. This has taken a severe toll on Supriya.


Ishika and Supriya in the hospital

“We’ve been in Mumbai since June 2017, and we've moved three times. We’re all alone in this big city and soon I have to move out of where I’m staying right now. It’s very expensive and we have no savings. We have to stay in Mumbai for 6 months more and I don’t know where I’m going to live after the next few months.” – Supriya

Even though she is suffering, Ishika is on the constant move as her mother tries to keep a roof over her head.

Neglected by her husband, Supriya is strong and wants to get Ishika treated

“My husband is a heavy drinker. He fights a lot, and used to hit me. I had to leave him and take my kids to go live with my mother. He knows what’s happening to her (Ishika) and he doesn’t care. He hasn’t offered any help. I need to figure out how to save my daughter but I really don’t know what to do.” – Supriya

Supriya, a single mother, has got Ishika all the way to Mumbai from Jabalpur. She managed to provide for Ishika’s first chemotherapy cycle but she received a heavy blow when she learnt that her daughter’s cancer had resurfaced and needed additional treatment.

Supriya and Ishika need immediate help

“Ishika needs to go to the hospital every 2-3 days. These visits are very expensive. Just in the last one month, we had to pay over Rs 1 lakh. My father was the only working member of the family and he passed away in May 2017. We have exhausted all our savings and I still need to pay for food, housing, her medicines, treatment, and much more.” – Supriya

Till now, Supriya has managed to pay Rs 6 lakhs from her late father’s savings and her elder sister’s family. Ishika needs an additional cycle of chemotherapy for 6 months and her mother has absolutely nothing left to pay the hospitals or provide for her stay.

The total cost of the treatment is estimated to be around Rs 4 lakhs. Supriya is left with no option but crowdfunding.

How you can help

9-year-old Ishika cannot bear her pain due to blood cancer. To survive, she needs additional cycles of chemotherapy in Mumbai. Away from home and with no resources, Supriya is finding it extremely difficult to provide for the life-saving treatment her daughter needs. She needs your support to save her daughter.

Your contribution will save Ishika.