“Right now, my son is so weak that even if he tries to go to the bathroom, he keeps falling. He knows that only a bone marrow transplant can save him and he keeps telling me, ‘Mumma, please leave me, let me die. Where will you get so much money from?’. I can’t help but cry and have hope but the truth is that I can’t even afford our journey to and back from the hospital.” – Rani, Pavan’s mother

19-year-old Pavan’s life has changed for the worse because he is suffering from a rare but deadly form of blood cancer. In just 2 months, Pavan’s condition has deteriorated so much that now, his only chance of making it through this is to undergo an urgent bone marrow transplant. But, Rani, a single mother who is riddled with debt, feels tormented because she has nothing to save her son’s life.

Even with chemotherapy, Pavan’s condition is horrifying

“Just over 2 months ago, Pavan got some sort of acne on his body. Soon it spread all over and just wasn’t going away. After seeing the doctor, we got to know that he’s affected with a rare form of leukemia. My heart sank. This happened so suddenly, I was just shocked. We started his chemotherapy by the end of April (2018) but this has been so brutal. He keeps vomiting so many times a day. He can’t even stand by himself and he has just dropped to the ground so many times. He rarely gets good sleep too and keeps telling me, ‘I can’t bear such a heavy treatment. My body is too weak.’.” Rani

The 19-year-old is diagnosed with a Philadelphia chromosome acute lymphoblastic leukemia which is a very rare form of blood cancer. This has spread so rapidly in Pavan’s body and if he doesn’t undergo an urgent bone marrow transplant, he could lose his life in a few months even with chemotherapy.

Being the life of the family, Pavan is now, thoroughly depressed and underweight due to cancer

“Pavan was an extremely talkative and funny person. He would make us laugh all the time. Now, he doesn’t even utter a single word. He was 57 kilos and within just a month he’s 50 kilos. He lost so much weight so quickly. I can’t sleep every night too. I just stay up and look at him and cry. I can’t believe that his life can just end without the transplant.”

Haritha (22 years old), Pavan, and Rani at the hospital

Rani, a courageous single mother, is buried in so much debt

Rani’s husband passed away when Pavan was just a year old. Regardless of poverty, by herself, Rani has not only raised Pavan and her elder daughter Haritha but has also managed to give them a good education. Rani is uneducated but she has been working as a tailor all these years and earns around Rs. 250/day.

“My husband was an alcoholic and he passed away around 18-years-ago. Right now, I don’t even have money for food at home. My mother and brother helps me with food. Every time we go and come back from the hospital, I borrow Rs. 400 to pay for our transport, that’s how bad our condition is. Last year, Pavan was involved in a bike accident and he broke his right hand. 2 rods were put inside his hand and I had to borrow a lot of money then too. Pavan and Haritha are my only hope. Every time I take him for a checkup, it costs around Rs. 2000. If I can’t even afford that, there is no way I can afford such an expensive transplant. But, I just want my son to be cured and be happy. That’s the only thing he wants too.” – Rani

How you can help

Until now, Rani has borrowed Rs. 5 lakhs from her friends and relatives to help her son undergo chemotherapy and other treatments. No one is willing to loan her more money because she hasn’t repaid her previous loans. She has absolutely nothing left and Pavan’s worsening condition cannot be cured without a life-saving bone marrow transplant. For this, Rani is in desperate need of Rs. 25 lakhs and she, simply, cannot save her son without your help.