“Now, Lohith’s condition is so bad that he can’t even walk. Just over a month ago, he was running around and playing everywhere and now, he seems so weak and exhausted. His cancer has spread so rapidly. He knows he has cancer. He loves cricket and he uses Yuvraj Singh as an inspiration to fight cancer. He keeps saying, ‘I will be cured too!’ But, how can I tell him that we simply can’t afford the transplant he needs to stay alive.” – Manjunath, Lohith’s father

13-Year-Old Lohith has a deadly and rare form of blood cancer that’s killing him

After being down with a fever for days, Lohith’s right leg started hurting and he became terribly weak. On getting multiple tests done, Manjunath was so frightened when he found out that Lohith was actually suffering from a deadly form of blood cancer known as chronic myeloid leukemia. In just a month, this disease has made Lohith extremely anaemic and if left untreated, there are high chances of it spreading and severely damaging his other vital organs.

“His right leg was hurting so bad that he couldn’t even stand. I took him to the hospital thinking that he just had a fever but I was in tears when I was told that he had blood cancer. Right now, he is just throwing up everything he eats and he has lost weight too. I’ve never seen him so weak before.” – Manjunath

Lohith’s pain will only go with months of treatment and a transplant

The 13-year-old’s condition had become so critical that he had to start his chemotherapy immediately. In addition to this, after chemotherapy, Lohith also needs a bone marrow transplant. 

“He feels so sad and depressed because he has just been at home. The only time he goes outside is when we’re going to the hospital. He’s a very smart student too, and he hasn’t even seen any of his friends lately. Seeing him so weak and sad has left my wife, Sakamma, extremely depressed too. I have never seen her cry so much in my entire life.” – Manjunath

Manjunath can’t even afford his journey to the hospital and back

“I work as a security guard and I just earn Rs. 12,000 every month. With this, I have to take of my family of four. We are barely able to save anything. We live 3 hours away from the hospital and just our journey to the hospital and back costs us Rs. 2000. We can’t go by bus all the way because Lohith feels too weak and doesn’t have the strength to stand or walk. We have to go to the hospital twice every week for chemotherapy. After working so hard for years, I had managed to save a little, but everything is gone now. I can’t even afford an additional week of chemotherapy, let alone the bone marrow transplant.” – Manjunath

Manjunath is so poor that right now, he doesn't even have enough to afford their journey to and back from the hospital. He is running out of time to provide for the additional treatment Lohith needs.

How you can help

13-year-old Lohith was so critical that he needed to start chemotherapy as soon as possible. After borrowing from friends and relatives, and after exhausting whatever he had, Manjunath has spent over Rs. 1.5 lakhs for his treatment. But, Lohith simply can’t survive without additional chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant which costs around Rs. 42 lakhs. Manjunath is desperate to save him, but he can’t do so without your help.

Your support will save 13-year-old Lohith and will ensure that he is able to go to school and play cricket again.