"When I look at her, all I feel is guilt. I wish there was a way for me to save our baby, I wish we were not standing in the way of her recovery. She smiles through everything, completely unaware that every minute that she's alive, she's escaping death."

Dhanalakshmi wakes up every morning with a spring in her step. She runs to her father and insists he takes her on a piggyback ride, she then runs to her mother and eagerly waits till she puts down the rolling pin so that she carries her. The 2-year-old keeps Mani and Rajeshwari on their toes and spreads her infectious laughter wherever she goes. Unfortunately, two months ago, little Dhanalakshmi was diagnosed with a serious heart disease that threatens to take away her smile and life forever.  
 

Dhanalakshmi has four heart defects together, and it’s only making her weaker by the day

“She’s our only child. When she was born, we thought we had taken home a healthy baby. We thought she would have a healthy future, too. But two months ago, our happy, playful child suddenly got breathless. At first, we thought she had exerted herself too much while playing, but then she started losing weight. Her heart is only getting weaker and making her body weaker with it.”

Her heart disease is so complex that only a surgery can save her life

Dhanalakshmi has been diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, a combination of four heart defects that occur together. She not only has a hole in her heart, but the blood flow from her right ventricle to the artery is blocked, the right ventricle that pumps oxygen-poor blood is pumping at a high pressure and she has an enlarged aortic valve.

While Dhanalskhmi looks like a normal child, her smile is hiding the complex, life-threatening condition of her heart. Dhanalakshmi needs surgery at the earliest to have the best chance to recover from this condition. If delayed any further, it will be too late.
 

This is her only chance to be cured of this complex heart disease 

Now, Mani and Rajeshwari keep a close eye on Dhanalakshmi. Her energy isn’t as abundant as it used to be, but all she wants to do is play. Dhanalakshmi has stopped running around the house now, and lays down on her bed, exhausted. However, her heart hasn't weakened her spirit, but her body is slowly giving up. 

“The moment she was diagnosed, we asked the doctors if she could be saved with medicines. We even went to different hospitals to check, but everyone told us the surgery is her only option. Ever since we found out, we’ve been worried about how we’ll get the surgery done. There’s just not enough time to arrange for such a big amount, and we just don’t’ have the means to do it. ”

 

How You Can Help

Dhanalakshmi’s smile and energy is deceiving. While she looks healthy on the outside, she’s only losing more weight and getting more breathless by the day. Her heart isn’t strong enough to keep her going for long, and she needs an open-heart surgery urgently to survive. Mani, a daily wage laborer, can’t afford the treatment. Her parents are desperate to save their only child's life, but find themselves helpless.