“Even in the hospital, all she used to do, was think of her exams. Our daughter is a very bright kid, and it is very hard to see her confined to the hospital bed like this. Since she fell sick, my wife, son and I have barely had a night's sleep or a decent meal. How can we if she can't even breathe?”

Nandhini is in the iCU when she should be writing her exams

14-year-old Nandhini is a very ambitious young girl. She was attending her school exams and preparing for the holidays before the next terms starts. Sadly, she fell very sick with a high fever. On day 5, she started vomiting. Till then, her parents were depending on the advice of their local physician and over the counter medication, but when her condition started deteriorating, they rushed her to a hospital in Nellore. She was immediately hospitalised, and the doctors there suspected a simple case of dehydration first.

They could not find the right diagnosis for a week

The doctors put her on an IV saline drip, for nutrition, so that she could regain some of her strength. When there was no improvement in her condition, they started running a number of tests, but to no avail. Almost a week passed by without any result and Nandhini’s condition kept getting worse by the day.

The desperate parents kept asking the doctors about what was happening to her.  Meanwhile she started developing other symptoms like difficulty in breathing and coughing. The fever that was being carefully kept under control also started to flare up again.

“For a whole week, we kept running after doctors, asking what was wrong with our daughter. After a week, they told us that they didn’t know what her condition was. I was so angry at the doctors for wasting so much time, all the time telling me that her treatment was going on.”

The doctors hit a dead end and referred her to another hospital

After 6 days of hospitalisation, much to the disappointment of Nandhini’s parents, the doctors declared that her condition was beyond their diagnosis and that they can’t treat her any longer. They suggested taking Nandhini to Chennai, where she would have access to better medical facilities. The distraught parents did not waste another day and took her to Chennai immediately. She was admitted to the Kanchi Kamakoti Child's Trust Hospital, where she is being treated currently.

Nandhini's father hasn't earned a single rupee since she has been in Chennai

At the hospital in Chennai, she was diagnosed with both jaundice and pneumonia. The doctors put her on ventilator, to aid her in breathing and started the course of her treatment. She got to the hospital in a critical state, but is now showing improvement. There is only one problem her parents are facing, they don’t have the money for her treatment.

They skip meals to save up for her medicines

Nandhini’s father, Hari, works as a daily wage labourer. His wife Arthi is a homemaker who goes for contractual labour whenever she can, in order to help Hari with the household expenses. They have a son, Vinay, who 18 years old. Within their income, their family lives barely hand to mouth and affording treatment in a different city, is next to impossible.

“When we came to Chennai, whatever little income I used to earn, also stopped. Now there’s no money even for food sometimes. My wife and I sometimes have to go hungry to get her medicines. We will gladly do anything that can bring our daughter back home.”

How you can help

Hari and Arthi usually just wait in the waiting area of the hospital since they have no money to even rent a room near the hospital. To pay for her treatment so far, they have borrowed money from every possible source they had. Now even their friends and relatives are not in a state to help them out. For Nandhini to get better and return home with her parents, your contribution is very important. With your help, Nandhini will get a second chance at life and, there will be joy back in her family.

Please help Hari and Arthi save their daughter.