My son is almost 4 months old. We named him Aman. It means peace. Unfortunately, there is nothing peaceful about his life. For 2 months, I saw my son struggle to breathe. My ignorance led me to believe it was probably the cold winter taking its toll on him. It was only when his coughing and spluttering got worse and he hardly took milk, that we rushed him to the doctor. The scans showed that Aman was born with a hole in his heart.

I have heard of this condition. I have met people back in the village who have struggled with it. I understood immediately the danger to my son’s life. After more tests, the doctor gave us the only solution. Aman needs a heart surgery. I begged him for another option, so we do not have to cut open my baby boy’s chest. The doctor said there was no other way. Aman has not been able to feed or breathe. If we delay even by a month, his condition could go beyond help. So the doctor advised us to go for the surgery as soon as possible.

I’m a security guard. They call me Gurkha Ramesh. My family is back in Nepal. My wife, Saraswati and my son, Aman make my world. I could not live if I lost either of them. Now, I do not have anyone else here in Bangalore to help me when times are tough.My few thousand rupees is enough for us to live a humble life but we cannot save on it for a surgery. It is going to cost us Rs. 1.54 Lakhs. It is going to cost us Rs. 1.54 Lakhs. I am so terrified of not having enough to save my son’s life.

The doctors have been very helpful. Their focus now is on saving Aman. We had to admit Aman to the hospital yesterday. His condition is getting worse. 

He never used to cry before. Now, his breathing is getting more labored, and he keeps turning blue every time he cries. Aman needs this surgery tomorrow. I want to see my son grow up healthy.