Sumeer Kumar, Sumi as we fondly call him, is a 45-year old former Tamil Nadu state cricketer and a personal fitness consultant. He has been suffering from acute renal failure and has been on dialysis since 2012. He underwent a cadaver kidney transplant in 2015 but for reasons unknown, the transplanted kidney started failing in Dec 2018. This forced him to restart dialysis thrice a week since Jan 2019. Really tragic for a man who is a teetotaller, ardent spiritual practitioner and has always led a disciplined and principled life!

Needless to say, this has forced him out of a regular and active professional life, leading to great strain to him and his family including his wife Maryann and his two young kids (7years  & 3 years old).

Left with no other practical option, his wife Maryann aged 35,who is the primary earner since 2011 decided to be a donor. The  second kidney transplant was originally scheduled for April 7th, 2019. 

While they were preparing physically and mentally for the transplant, a serious but unfortunate event unfolded on March 19th. Sumi,  while undergoing dialysis suffered an aortic dissection Type A , which when not immediately treated is life-threatening. He was urgently wheeled into an open-heart surgery which lasted 7 hours. The sad irony is that he underwent the surgery on the day he was turning 45.

Thanks to Sumi’s spartan and stringent lifestyle, sportsman and fitness regimen, the surgery went well and he was moved to the critical care unit for 72 hours. He will be recuperating in the hospital for up to a week with constant testing and monitoring.

We in the immediate family and friends continue to provide moral, physical and financial support to Maryann and Sumi, praying for a rejuvenated return. Despite this, Maryann and Sumi need financial assistance to tide over this crisis period which is likely to last post June/July 2019, when the second kidney transplant may be allowed.

To share an indication of the financial burden, let me share some data points.

• Current surgery and post-operative care: INR 15 Lakhs
• 2nd Kidney transplant surgery and post-operative care : INR 8-12 Lakhs
• Immuno-suppressant medication and support for Sumi: INR 10,000.00 per month for at least 1-2 years.

Total indicative expenses are INR 28 Lakhs (USD $ 40,000). Maryann will not be able to work professionally (event management) for at least 2 months post her participating in the surgery. This adds to strain.
The current funding position is as follows;

• Insurance cover : INR 3.5 Lakhs USD $ 5000 (coverage is low because of his pre-existing conditions and past transplant)
• Cash in hand from savings: INR 2.00 Lakhs (USD $ 2850)
• Immediate family support: INR 3.00 Lakh (USD $ 4286)
• Deficit : INR 21 Lakhs approx.. (USD $ 30,000.00)

While we are reaching out to extended family members and close friends, we seek the contribution of the larger benevolent community to help transition Sumi’s family through this trying phase and help reset their life.

To substantiate the amount needed, we are sharing information on the current expense status and other related information, which we hope will give a picture. We will continuously update the usage of funds and also share progress of the family recovery.

We say thanks to the doctors, physicians and support staff at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, India for the caring and artful support to Sumi and bringing him back from the brink

Thanks for hearing our plea and praying for Sumi and his family. We owe the larger world a debt of gratitude.