“We have always been overprotective and extra cautious towards Nishta. Even if she would just sneeze, we would rush her to the doctors. But even our cautiousness couldn't stop her from getting cancer. Now, when I touch her, I can’t feel anything but her bones. I know she is in pain, and I try very hard to cheer her up and distract her from it. I try to laugh with her, hiding all my tears. But with each passing day, I know she's running out of time without treatment. ” - Bujjewar, Nishta’s father.

Once a very mischievous kid, Nishta’s pain is so excruciating now that she can't even get up from bed

Nishta would constantly run around the house and play with everything in the kitchen. Her mischiefs would keep her parents on their toes. But, for the past 6 months, their lives have come to a standstill. Bujjewar feels like he has been in the hospital for centuries, and every day is a battle. However, no matter how hard he tries, nothing seems to make his daughter any better.

“6 months ago, Nishta’s stomach suddenly started swelling. It became so hard, that she couldn’t even get up from the bed. Initially, I thought that it was a gastric problem, but as days passed her condition deteriorated. I have lost count of the number of diagnostic centers I have been to in the hope that someone would tell me that my daughter doesn't have cancer. But it never happened."

Despite all odds, Bujjewar is relentless in his efforts to save Nishta from cancer 

Little Nishta has abdominal neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer which started in her liver and is gradually spreading to the other parts of her body. Cancer has made her so weak that she is losing weight drastically. Chemotherapy has managed to keep her alive so far, but it is no longer enough. The 2-year-old needs a bone marrow transplant at the earliest.

“My baby has become very irritable and refuses to do anything. We try to feed her, but she just doesn't feel like eating. She is in so much pain that she can’t even change sides while sleeping. We often wake up to her painful screams. Every day we try to fight a little harder so that Nishta can live. After coming such a long way, I am not ready to give up.”

Her mother is devastated and is still coming to terms with her diagnosis

“Sandhya and I don’t even have the strength to talk to each other. Sandhya was a fighter and my strength, but I see her losing hope every day. The news of our daughter's cancer has devastated her. She stares ahead blankly while cooking. She keeps hurting herself during household chores. At other times, tears just roll down her face. I feel so helpless, so worthless.”

With no work and no fixed income, Bujjewar can’t afford to save his baby

Bujjewar was still struggling to build his career when he was faced with an even crueller reality - Nishta's cancer. When he manages to get work, he works as a backup dancer in movies. At other times, he works as a small-time choreographer for others' family functions. He has no fixed income. He hasn’t been able to look for work for the past 6 months. There are days when he had to ask for money from his family to pay his rent. 

“I had to sell the only piece of land I had. I have sold my wife’s jewelry. I could pay Rs 8 lakhs so far only by selling everything I had and by borrowing from friends. I don’t know where I will get Rs 9.5 lakhs to save Nishta. I can’t just sit and watch as she slips away from us. I don’t know if these bad times will ever pass.”

How you can help

2-year-old Nishta's cancer is rapidly spreading and without a bone marrow transplant, she won't make it. Her father, a backup dancer in Telugu movies, had only just started his career and has no means to afford her life-saving treatment. After borrowing from everyone they knew, her parents are now at a dead-end. They have no one else to turn to and need your help to save their only child from cancer. 

Your support will help these parents keep their only child alive