“We had no idea that his condition was this serious, he seemed to be doing fine. He was a very active baby. When we discovered the severity of his illness, we were shocked.”

Jaswanth was born with jaundice. He used to get frequent fevers and keeping food down was hard for him. His parents Sampurna and Venkateswara Rao used to take him to a pediatrician for jaundice treatment. One day he caught a bad cold and started struggling to breathe. They were alarmed and took him to a hospital in Guntur. The medical team there ran a few tests and said that Jaswanth had Chronic Liver disease and that he needed urgent hospitalization. After keeping him under observation for a few days, the doctors declared that a liver transplant is the only way to save him.

The reality of Jaswant's situation dawned on his parents when he was being rushed into the ICU

Many babies are born with jaundice and hence Jaswanth’s parent’s didn’t panic about their son initially. They made sure their baby was getting the necessary treatment and for a few days, Jaswanth’s health even showed signs of improvement. But eventually, his condition started worsening. With the onset of his cold and infection, his inability to breathe landed him in the hospital ICU. His stomach was swollen and his fever wasn’t subsiding at all. That’s when the gravity of his situation hit his parents. Their only living son was fighting for his life.

Jaswanth’s parents are not new to the tragedy of losing children, and they long to experience the joy of parenthood

“Life has been playing cruel jokes on us for so long now. It’s as if fate doesn’t want us to know the joy of raising a child. But we won’t give up on Jaswanth, we’ll save him at any cost.”

Sampurna and Venkateshwara Rao have already lost 3 children to illnesses. Their firstborn was a daughter who died of a hole in her heart, the next two children, boy, lost their lives to liver failure. During these times, they were not aware of the medical procedures available to them and they had to lose. But when Jaswanth was diagnosed, they were better equipped to deal with the crisis, even if only in terms of knowledge.

Sampurna and Venkateswara Rao have been so grief struck from the deaths of their children, that they’re willing to leave no stone unturned when it comes to the treatment of Jaswanth. While their situation is heart-wrenching, they’re showing amazing grit and courage with Jaswanth. They’re willing to go to any length to save their child since they’re not ready to lose another baby to sickness. Despite all their strength and determination, the biggest roadblock in the way of getting the necessary treatment for Jaswanth is their bleak financial condition.

While his parents are bracing themselves up to deal with this crisis, the biggest problem they face is lack of funds

Venkateswara Rao is a daily wage laborer who gets seasonal work. His unstable and measly income is barely enough to manage essentials like food, affording a treatment worth lakhs is out of his league. His wife used to work as a daily wage laborer too, but since Jaswanth has been diagnosed, she’s had to stop working to be able to take care of their ailing, dependent son. So far, to meet the hospital expenses, they have borrowed money from friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Unfortunately, now even those reserves have run dry and they have no means to pay for Jaswanth’s treatment.

Jaswanth and his parents are fighting for his life but he can survive only with our help and support. Let their poverty not decide the fate of yet another one of their children. Let’s contribute for his treatment so that a healthy life becomes a reality for him.