In the dead of the night on the streets of Jaipur, a young couple, Shyamlal and Rekha, huddle together with their young daughter (7) to stay warm. But Shyamlal hasn’t slept in days. He stays awake, watching over his family and praying for his newborn’s health. While they struggle to find a place to stay, braving the cold, their 18-day-old baby Mukesh lies in the ICU fighting an infection. However, he has a chance to get better – baby Mukesh can go home healthy, in the arms of his parents with your support.

What was supposed to be a celebration turned tragic

Shyamlal and Rekha eagerly awaited their baby’s birth, and more than them, their older daughters were excited to play with their chota bhai (young brother). However, baby Mukesh was born in pain, with his liver outside his body. In a desperate attempt to save him, Shyamlal and Rekha took him to all the hospitals he could afford in their hometown near Jodhpur, Rajasthan, but in vain. Mukesh is a construction worker and his income of Rs. 100 per day wasn’t enough to get his son treated at a bigger hospital, but he was relentless.

“I didn’t want to give up. We finally took him to Jaipur where they said they could help us. We were relieved. I didn’t think twice before borrowing from people.” - Shyamlal 

Baby Mukesh underwent a surgery nearly 10 days ago, and his parents were relieved. Unfortunately, he developed an infection soon after and now needs to stay in the ICU for at least 8-10 days to get better.

This Baby Needs Our Support, Here’s How We Can Help

While his parents are in despair, there’s hope for baby Mukesh. He can be cured of this infection and go home with continued treatment. However, his parents don’t have the means to afford his treatment any longer. “There are days when we rely on others’ kindness for our meals. But we don’t mind, we just want our son to be healthy and have a chance of a childhood,” says Shyamlal. Our support will help him stay in the ICU longer and recover from this infection.