I grew up wit my Aajoba and Aaji (Grandparents). My Grandpa would walk with me every night after dinner around the house telling me stories from the epics, teaching me maths tables, shlokas, and poems. He even taught me how to whistle and we spent weekends in the gardens whistling to the birds.

Those of you who have spent time with their grandparents would agree that those were some of the best moments of your childhood. I can never imagine growing up without my grandparents.

And that's why I am trying to help 65-year-old Joseph to undergo a surgery for a rare type of cancer, so his 4 grandchildren can cherish the same moments I cherished with my grandparents.

Since August of last year, Joseph's health took a turn for the worse. What started as a nasal blockage, has now been diagnosed as a chordoma - a tumour of the skull base - which grows aggressively and starts to impair hearing, vision, and all functions of the body.

He had his first surgery at Ramaiah Hospital in October 2015 where Dr. Ravi Varma operated on him to remove the cancerous growth. Unfortunately, the chordoma has returned and spread and he needs another surgery. The first surgery took 6 hours and cost approx 1.6 lakhs (approx $2374) - which was a discounted cost. As a driver earning a salary of Rs. 12,000 a month (approx $180 a month), he could not afford the procedure. He did not have insurance and his family had to borrow some money.

Dr. Anirudh, a neurosurgeon at Ramaiah Hospital has agreed to perform the second surgery, along with an ENT specialist. The cost of the second procedure along with hospital stay will cost 2 lakhs (approx $2968) and he needs to have the operation at the earliest. Any extra amount raised over and above the 2 lakh hospital estimate will go towards Joseph's ongoing medication for his cancer post his surgery.