If 1-year-old Nihal skips his routine dose of cornstarch with his food every third hour, he would lose his life. Every three hours, if he stops eating, his blood sugar will fall rapidly leading to seizures or even a fatal brain damage. He needs to eat just the right amount - not less, not more. He has never had a full night's sleep in this 2 months due to a rare disease that is damaging his liver. This little boy can escape this pain and live a normal life with a liver transplant but his parents cannot afford it.

Their 'Little Krishna' hardly smiles any more

A happy and active kid since birth, Nihal was the apple of Geeta and Mallesh’s eyes. During the last 'Krishna Janmashtami' (festival celebrating birth of Lord Krishna) , they dressed him up like the god himself and watched him lovingly as he took his first tiny steps. Little did his parents know that this would be the last few moments of their happiness. The very next month, Nihal had violent seizures and fell unconscious on the floor.

"I cannot explain how terrible it was, I didn't know what was happening to him. We rushed him to hospital. He was in ventilator support for a week. He got seizures multiple times. I was praying to God every second not to take him away from me " - Geetha

Nihal's diagnosis brought back the memories of the loss of their first child

It is not the first time that Geetha and Mallesh are facing this tragic situation. Their first child Niharika whom they lost 2 years back was diagnosed with the same disease that Nihal is suffering from - 'Glycogen Storage Disorder'.  It's the absence or deficiency of one of the enzymes responsible for making or breaking down glycogen (a form of sugar) in the body. Glycogen is mainly stored in the liver and the muscles and provides the body with a readily available source of energy. It leads to chronic low blood sugar which in turn damages the liver completely. Niharika was just a year old when she was diagnosed and even before they could start the treatment they lost her.

When I became pregnant with Nihal, I took all tests during pregnancy. The tests came out all negative and I was hopeful that he'll not have anything serious. But I was devastated when doctors told us that my son is cursed with the same disease. I feel I'm cursed." - Geetha.

"It is painful to force feed him every time but he won't survive without it"

Nihal cannot eat any sugar, milk products and fruits. He has vegetable soup four times in a day and rice or idli mixed with cornstarch for every 3 hours.  He has to eat frequently so he seldom experiences hunger. He has become extremely tired. His stomach has started swelling because of which he is in constant pain. Scan reports showed that his liver is damaged. Besides this, he has a severe cold and cough, even medicines are not helping him anymore.

These parents can save their only child with your help 

Mallesh works in a medical shop and earns Rs 7000 per month. He has spent 2 lakh so far by borrowing money from his friends and relatives. He has to spend in thousands everyday only for the diet and the medicines of his son. Only a liver transplant can put an end to Nihal's pain and suffering but it costs 18 lakh which is impossible for Mallesh to arrange.

They do not have much time in their hands and it'll be unfortunate to face the tragic fate of losing their child again.

Together, we can save 1-year-old Nihal