“The waiting hall outside the ICU has almost become my home now. For the last fifteen days, I have been sitting here, waiting for my son to get better and all around me, I see sullen faces brimming with tension. But sometimes, if I am lucky, I get to see a happy father taking his child home and I am reminded of Tejas’s face. I am reminded of how he used to come walking outside to the courtyard in tiny little steps, every time he heard the sound of my bike. I wipe off the tears from my face as I pray for Tejas to recover,” - Ganesh, father. 

Sudden breathing trouble in the middle of the night left Tejas unconscious

Fifteen days ago, 10-month-old baby Tejas was having trouble in breathing. His problems aggravated with time - so much so that he became unconscious in the middle of the night and had to be rushed into a hospital. Tests were conducted and the doctors told Ganesh and Usha that Tejas is laryngomalacia. It is a congenital softening of the tissues of the larynx (voice box) above the vocal cords. The laryngeal structure is malformed and floppy, causing the tissues to fall over the airway opening and partially block it.
 

“In fifteen days, Tejas underwent two surgeries and he is still not fully cured. There are times when he stays awake the entire night and cries out in pain. Nothing can calm him down. Seeing him going through so much pain, I feel helpless and desperate to save him.” 

Ganesh is now under huge debts trying to afford his son’s treatment

Ganesh is a farmer in Rajgurunagar, Pune who owns a small piece of land. To start off with Tejas’s treatments, he has mortgaged his land - his only source of income. He also took huge loans at high interests from moneylenders. But without help, he would not be able to arrange for about Rs 6 lakhs that are needed for Tejas's hospital stay.

 

“For the last four months, there has been no crops on my field due to lack of rainfall. I work part-time at a factory and earn about Rs 6000, but that is hardly anything. I am under huge debts and still not in a condition to afford Tejas’s stay in the hospital.” 

How you can help

Tejas is suffering from severe respiratory problems and needs to stay in the hospital for at least 3 weeks. His father, a poor farmer, is cowering below the weight of huge debts. Without your help, Ganesh would not be able to save his son.

Together, we can help baby Tejas