Share
My daughter has needed to get regular transfusions every month, to stay alive for another, for the past 9 years now. Can you imagine what that’s like?
For her, it just means pain. Month after month, she knows it’s coming but it never gets easier.
For her, it just means pain. Month after month, she knows it’s coming but it never gets easier.
Somehow... it always hurts her more than the last time.
For me, it means worrying every single day if I can keep her alive for one more month.
For me, it means worrying every single day if I can keep her alive for one more month.
How much longer must my daughter live on borrowed time like this?
Tejaswini was 6 months old when her parents, Raju and Arthina, noticed that she kept getting a fever and cold. Concerned, Raju had taken her to a doctor straight away... and the diagnosis that Tejaswini got was a punch in his gut – his little baby had Thalassemia major, a dangerous blood disease.
“I was already very worried going in, but then I found out that my 6-month-old child actually had a dangerous, life-threatening, disease! I never thought it could be something so severe! I vowed to myself that day that I would do whatever it takes to save my daughter’s life. At that time, it meant getting her an urgent blood transfusion.” - Raju, father
Raju quit his private office job 9 years ago, to be closer to his daughter
"The very next day after Teju got her diagnosis, I went to my boss and quit my job. Every single minute with my daughter, her every smile, became the most precious commodity in my life. I still had to support my family, though, so I started a small consultancy shop in my home itself, helping people in my town with various things like applying for licenses, filling online applications etc. I didn’t earn much, but it was enough to feed my family 3 times a day and have a roof over our heads. More importantly, it was enough for me to get my Teju her life-saving transfusions every month. But now the transfusions are too dangerous for her!"
Her transfusions are starting to kill her now, she needs an urgent bone marrow transplant
Because of her disease, Tejaswini’s body is unable to produce blood properly, leading to severe complications like constant breathlessness and failure to grow at the expected rate. To combat this, she has needed monthly transfusions with fresh, healthy, blood, since she was 6-months-old, combined with nearly 10 tablets a day. But too many transfusions over a long period of time can cause a condition called Iron Overload, as is the case with Tejaswini now, unfortunately. Iron overload is extremely dangerous, and can cause severe pains all over the body, and lead to liver failure, heart failure, diabetes, and bone diseases, among others. The only thing that can keep her alive now is a bone marrow transplant, but the cost is too high for Raju.
They just want little Tejaswini to be able to play with her sister
"Arthina and I just want Teju to get better and be able to laugh and play with her sister, like every other kid her age. She tries sometimes, but gets tired in just a few minutes. They’re saying a bone marrow transplant will allow her body to start producing healthy blood, getting rid of all her symptoms! It wouldn’t just save her life, it would change it too! But the cost is so much! I’ve had to take loans in the past just to afford her transfusions. How can I afford 30 lakhs now?! Please, you are our only hope. Donate as much as you can and save my daughter."
Click here to donate towards Tejaswini’s bone marrow transplant.
