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I was working as an Uber driver and just like most drivers out there, I too had a dream of buying my own car and make something of myself. You can’t go on driving other’s cars for long, and this was my goal. I wanted to make my mother proud. With that, I wanted to help my mother out. She has given me so much and gone out of her way so many times for her kids. I feel like I owe it to her. It’s just devastating to think that all my dreams seem to be shattered right now.
In 2016, I had just returned to Navi Mumbai from my village, which is just a little ahead of Solapur. I don’t know why but I had never felt so weak before. I would keep throwing up for no reason, even if I drank water, it would come out. It didn’t make any sense. I got so weak that even if I had to go to the bathroom, I’d take a few breaks while walking towards it. It seemed like it was getting worse every day.
Santosh, and his mother
I got checked up and the doctor revealed that my kidneys were severely damaged and had failed. My kidneys have reduced in size drastically. I couldn’t digest this. How could my kidneys fail at such a young age? I was just 26. I was shocked and I felt like everything had come to a standstill. To be honest, I didn’t feel like living at all. I was so depressed.
I’m a simple man. I’d work, go meet my friends and had my own set of ambitions. I was told that I had to undergo dialysis immediately. The weakness is still there even though I undergo dialysis twice every week. I haven’t worked for over one and a half years. I just feel so depressed sometimes when I see my friends and other people my age working hard, going out and enjoying life at the same time. I feel like all my dreams collapsed right in front of me. I’ve been at home for a year, feeling weak and hopeless.
Santosh in the hospital
What has helped me is that whenever I go to the hospital for dialysis, I see so many people going through the exact same thing. Most of them are younger than me. I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to give up on my dreams. I was told that I’d have complete hopes of recovery through a kidney transplant. But, there was no way we could afford that. Our financial condition is so poor.
My father passed away 3 years ago and my mother has always been a housewife. I haven’t worked for almost a year and even when I did, I’d earn a maximum of Rs. 10,000 every month. My brother is a driver too, but he’s the one who looks after me, gets my medicines, takes me to the hospitals and helps me with just about anything. He isn’t able to work enough though.
My mother has been matched as a suitable donor. We got all the tests done and everything has checked out. We just don’t have any money left for the transplant. Right now, I undergo dialysis twice every week in addition to getting an injection that costs around Rs. 2000 every week. On top of it, there are hospital visits and check-ups, then there are the tablets I need to take. All this is very costly, especially for those who’re already in a financial rut.
The doctor told me a year back that I can’t survive without dialysis. Since my kidneys have failed completely, he told me that my condition had become so critical that I needed to get a transplant as soon as possible because my condition keeps getting worse with time. Even after the transplant, I’d need to take medicines that cost around Rs. 20,000 per month. I haven’t thought about that yet, because we’re still trying to gather the Rs. 6.5 lakhs needed for the transplant.
It does feel like time is not favoring me. I was told to undergo the transplant by the end of April. This is a very painful situation to be in.
Your support can save 28-year-old Santosh.
In 2016, I had just returned to Navi Mumbai from my village, which is just a little ahead of Solapur. I don’t know why but I had never felt so weak before. I would keep throwing up for no reason, even if I drank water, it would come out. It didn’t make any sense. I got so weak that even if I had to go to the bathroom, I’d take a few breaks while walking towards it. It seemed like it was getting worse every day.
Santosh, and his mother
I got checked up and the doctor revealed that my kidneys were severely damaged and had failed. My kidneys have reduced in size drastically. I couldn’t digest this. How could my kidneys fail at such a young age? I was just 26. I was shocked and I felt like everything had come to a standstill. To be honest, I didn’t feel like living at all. I was so depressed.
I’m a simple man. I’d work, go meet my friends and had my own set of ambitions. I was told that I had to undergo dialysis immediately. The weakness is still there even though I undergo dialysis twice every week. I haven’t worked for over one and a half years. I just feel so depressed sometimes when I see my friends and other people my age working hard, going out and enjoying life at the same time. I feel like all my dreams collapsed right in front of me. I’ve been at home for a year, feeling weak and hopeless.
Santosh in the hospital
What has helped me is that whenever I go to the hospital for dialysis, I see so many people going through the exact same thing. Most of them are younger than me. I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to give up on my dreams. I was told that I’d have complete hopes of recovery through a kidney transplant. But, there was no way we could afford that. Our financial condition is so poor.
My father passed away 3 years ago and my mother has always been a housewife. I haven’t worked for almost a year and even when I did, I’d earn a maximum of Rs. 10,000 every month. My brother is a driver too, but he’s the one who looks after me, gets my medicines, takes me to the hospitals and helps me with just about anything. He isn’t able to work enough though.
My mother has been matched as a suitable donor. We got all the tests done and everything has checked out. We just don’t have any money left for the transplant. Right now, I undergo dialysis twice every week in addition to getting an injection that costs around Rs. 2000 every week. On top of it, there are hospital visits and check-ups, then there are the tablets I need to take. All this is very costly, especially for those who’re already in a financial rut.
The doctor told me a year back that I can’t survive without dialysis. Since my kidneys have failed completely, he told me that my condition had become so critical that I needed to get a transplant as soon as possible because my condition keeps getting worse with time. Even after the transplant, I’d need to take medicines that cost around Rs. 20,000 per month. I haven’t thought about that yet, because we’re still trying to gather the Rs. 6.5 lakhs needed for the transplant.
It does feel like time is not favoring me. I was told to undergo the transplant by the end of April. This is a very painful situation to be in.
How you can help
28-year-old Santosh is suffering from kidney failure and has been undergoing dialysis for over a year. He is very critical and he needs to undergo a kidney transplant by the end of April. His mother is matched as a suitable donor but his family has absolutely nothing left to provide for the life-saving transplant he needs. Now, he needs your help to survive.Your support can save 28-year-old Santosh.
