My name is Deevena. I'm 8 years old. My dream is to go on vacation with my cousins. My sister and brother go every year but my parents do not leave me alone anywhere. My friends do not play with me because I get tired very soon. I feel sad during holidays. I try to play with them but my heart begins to beat so fast. I get scared,come home and sit all alone.

I stay with my parents and my sister Grace (12) and brother Abhishek (7). We go to school together. My brother sometimes makes fun of me because he can walk faster than me. My sister does not leave me alone. She drops me to class every day.  I walk slowly because I get tired very soon. I'm afraid that I might sleep in the class if I get tired and then my friends laugh at me.

One day, my teacher called my sister and asked her to take me home immediately. She saw that I was sweating. I was finding it difficult to breathe with my heart going 'Dhag dhag dhag dhag' faster than I was blinking. Even my parents panic when my heart beat fast. I started crying. I didn't want to go but they took me to the hospital and same medicines were given.

I fight with my brother for the TV remote. He likes to watch movies but I don't watch movies. They are too noisy. My chest feels like it is exploding when I hear loud sounds. I know I'll be taken to hospital again if it happens and I don't want to go.  I love watching cartoons. My favorites are Dora and Chhota Bheem.  I also wish to play and fly like them.

I love to eat non-veg but I have to wait for one whole year to eat it. Only when my cousins come home they give me. My mom says it is not good for my health so she doesn't give it to my brother and sister also. I try to play with my friends, I cry when they leave me alone but I can't run like them. Within 5 minutes, I'll start coughing. It feels like there is no air. Sometimes my friends also get scared seeing me struggling to breathe.



My parents take me to the hospital often. I have asked them why they are not taking my brother and sister. They say I need more strength than them and I have to take all injections and medicines to play like them. Doctor uncle told me that I'll be alright and I can play with my friends, walk fast and even run very soon.

I'm waiting for my school to reopen. I told my sister that I can go by myself to class and walk faster like them. All my friends have gone for holidays. When they come back I will play with them. I still feel tired and I sleep most of the day but the doctor told me I'll be alright in a month.

How you can help

Deevena has a heart disease and it was diagnosed when she was 2 years old. Her parents have been protective of her since then. They were told that the hole in her heart would heal by itself but it only grew bigger. This little girl doesn't know that she has heart disease. She is not aware that only a surgery can make her dreams of having a normal childhood come true. Her father works as a teacher for a basic income, and he cannot afford the surgery.

Your support can help little Deevena have a normal life!