13-year-old With Cancer Believes Her Stomach Pain Is From Infection

  When Jasmine is not complaining to her parents about the griping pain in her tummy, she cries and begs them to take her back home. The hospital surroundings repulse her; she misses the comfort of her home. When she asks them ‘Why do I have to take so many medicines and painful injections?’, her helpless parents have no answer. They cannot bring themselves to tell her two bitter truths - That she has severe blood cancer and that they have run out of funds to continue her treatment.

“We have somehow convinced her that she has a small blood infection and needs to stay in hospital for a few days. With every passing day she is becoming weaker, but she chooses to ignore that. She wants to go back to school and meet her friends. Her stomach pain is physically killing her, but not being able to go back home is destroying her mental peace. Sometimes she cries so much that she passes out from all the exertion and stress. We cannot bear to see her suffering like this.”-Mabu Subhani, father.

Jasmine’s painful ordeal started a month back when her tummy started aching one day

Jasmine had just come back from school when she felt a piercing pain take over her like her insides were being sliced. She squirmed in pain and her worried doctors rushed her to a local clinic in their hometown of Macherla in Andhra Pradesh. However, the doctors dismissed it as a small issue.

“They gave her painkillers and assured us after a check-up that it could be because Jasmine had less blood in her body. I remember feeling relieved when they said that. I really believed she would be alright after having good food and medicines, but I was wrong.”-Hashoorun, mother.

Her worried parents decided to take her to a better hospital in Vijayawada when her pain did not subside

“She was given medicines for 10 days. My poor child had them on time, never missing a tablet. But the pain in her stomach just got worse – it reached a point where she could not sit down or even sleep properly. When we went back to the same clinic, the doctor hinted that this could be something more serious and told us to take her to Vijayawada urgently. Things were not looking good at all, but we were still positive that our child would not have anything serious.”-Mabu Subhani.

Tests and investigations at a good hospital in Vijayawada confirmed the worst: Jasmine had blood cancer

When doctors told Mabu Subhani and Hashoorun that their sweet daughter had cancer, they couldn’t believe it at first. Jasmine was never a sickly child; she even got fever and cold less frequently.  

“We told the doctor to explain the condition to us repeatedly. When he told us that our child’s life could be in grave danger if we don’t start the treatment immediately, my wife started crying. I was also crying inside but I knew I had to do everything I could to save her.”-Mabu Subhani.

This helpless father left his auto in his hometown and borrowed money to get the treatment started at the earliest

Mabu Subhani knew very well that there was no time to waste – every second wasted was detrimental to Jasmine’s life. He begged his friends and relatives to help him and was able to get Rs 20,000. He even sold his wife’s jewelry and set out to get his daughter treated in Vijayawada, leaving their 7-year-old son Jaffar at a relative’s place in Macherla.

“I am auto driver by profession. But from the time we have come to Vijayawada, I am jobless. I have already spent more than half the money that I had managed to arrange. We are rationing everyday food and other expenses because Jasmine’s treatment will need more funds. I don’t know how I will arrange it on time.”-Mabu Subhani.

How you can help

13-year-old Jasmine has acute blood cancer that is weakening her system and giving her terrible stomach pains. She needs prolonged chemotherapy to survive. Her father is running out of time and funds to save her. She is crying out of pain while you are reading this.