Mohammad Khalik reached Mumbai with a small bag in one hand and holding his son, Faiz (6), in the other. The big city was alien to him, and unlike most other people he had travelled with on the train from Banaras, he didn’t go there to make a living – he was there to save his son from a deadly blood disease. After being turned away by many hospitals, Khalik finally found hope for his son in Mumbai. But the bone marrow transplant he needs is beyond this poor father's means. Without it, Faiz is running out of time and is getting weaker by the day.

They have been struggling for months now - for space, food and most of all, his treatment 

Crammed in a small home, Khalik and Faiz have now been living in Mumbai for nearly 8 months now. Every day and every meal are a struggle for them. Khalik does any work he gets through word of mouth – whether it’s painting or construction, he does anything that will give him a few hundreds in his pocket. But none of this is enough to afford his son's bone marrow transplant that will save him from severe aplastic anaemia, a disease in which the body stops producing enough new blood cells.


Faiz with his parents and younger brother

“I can hardly go for work for 3 days a week, because I have to take Faiz to the hospital to get him blood or for some other tests. Every time he feels weak or falls sick, I have to rush him to the hospital. But if I don’t work even a little, I won’t be able to afford his medicines. Last month I called my wife, Shama, to come to Mumbai with our youngest son because I couldn’t do it all on my own."

But when he’s struggling to afford even a single meal for his family, how can Khalik afford the transplant that costs 12 lakhs?

Faiz hardly has any energy left – he needs the transplant in time

Faiz is extremely perceptive. He knows he’s unwell and sees how much his parents are struggling to get him treated. He also knows he can’t go back to school anytime soon, so, he never asks. When they have to stay in the hospital the whole day, he sometimes spends time in the playing room on the toy bike. But on most days, Faiz doesn’t even have the energy to sit up.

“He loves to draw. He would bring home beautiful paintings of flowers and trees from school, but here I can’t afford to buy him colours or a book. We will get our old Faiz back only with the transplant." 

Faiz can go home healthy with your help

Faiz needs a bone marrow transplant at the earliest to survive. Fortunately, his younger brother (2) is a matched donor. The only thing standing in his way is their dire lack of funds. No matter what Khalik and Shama do, it’ll never be enough to afford the treatment. Khalik, who used to work on others’ farms in a village near Banaras, is now in Mumbai struggling to earn every rupee. He needs your help to save his son.