You Can Help Baby Pranaya Speak Again

2-year-old Pranaya Kumar needs a surgery on his vocal cords. His father is a daily-wage worker in a village in Andhra Pradesh. He has taken loans from people in the village and paid for Pranaya's treatment so far. He needs some support so Pranaya's treatment is completed and he can speak like a normal child.

Pranaya is Srihari and Kadiramma's youngest child. They have three other children – all of whom had started to speak by the time they were Pranaya's age. But little Pranaya's sounds were accompanied by a rattling in the throat. His parents did not know what to make of this.

The doctors said that he had bilateral vocal cord palsy. Pranaya's vocal cords were paralysed – meaning he could produce no sound. This also meant that his windpipe remained open when he swallowed food. Food going into the lungs is fatal. 

Pranaya needed immediate surgery (tracheostomy) so his windpipe would remain protected when he ate. But this is just a temporary solution and he needs multiple surgical procedures if the tube is to be removed from his throat and he can speak normally. 

 

Kadiramma sees that not being able to speak has turned Pranaya lonley. “He understands what we are saying and he has his own way of communicating with us. But he is very shy and often plays on his own silently. If he could speak – he would want to talk to people more maybe,” says Kadiramma. 

Srihari earns money for everyday he works. Usually he works on the fields in his village. When there is no work he takes up small jobs to bring in some income for the family. In a month, he is able to earn Rs 6,000. He needs to think a lot before he goes to a doctor.

When the doctors said that his child could die if he didn't get a surgery soon, there was nothing else Srihari could do. He went around in his village and asked everyone to lend him some money. He put together Rs 1 lakh and got Pranaya the an operation.

But a tracheostomy is not a permanent solution. Pranaya needs multiple surgeries to gain control of his vocal cords and to be able to swallow, breathe and speak like other children his age. The total expense of these procedures will be Rs 4.5 lakhs. Not getting these operations is not an option.

It is his son's future in the balance and Srihari is crushed that he can do nothing. This fundraiser is his last hope. Contribute now and help him give Pranaya a future.