"Everyday my 16-year-old daughter asks the doctor, ‘how am I doing today? Is it better than yesterday?’ Only to know if her body still supports her to achieve her dreams of becoming a doctor. I still remember the day when she told me how curious her mind becomes by reading every chapter in the science book and how much she dreams to become a doctor. That day, I promised her that I would not let anything stand between her and her career. But I failed, cancer is threatening to take her life and I fear that she won't even make it to her class 10 state board exams this year." - Janaki, Vaishnavi's mother.
This teenager's ambitions are brutally crushed by cancer
Kalegouda and Janaki always considered Vaishnavi as a blessing to their life. After a long and tiring day at work, Vaishnavi was a bright and hopeful sight to her parents. When Vaishnavi was diagnosed with cancer, they were devastated but she showed up to be the bravest when she fought for her life on one hand and scored the highest marks in her grade 9 on the other hand. She successfully survived cancer for 2 years. Just when the family thought she can start living a normal life, Vaishnavi’s cancer relapsed after three months.“My heart broke when the doctor told us during the regular check-up that her cancer has come back. I know how painful and hard the life was for my daughter. I couldn't imagine her going through the same ordeal again. I couldn’t dare to tell her that she may never be able to do what she wants to. But she heard me tell my husband about it. She was shattered and quickly ran to her room. The sight of her crying in one corner of the room with fear shattered us." - Janaki.
Only urgent treatment can save Vaishnavi from dreadful cancer
16-year-old Vaishnavi is suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) a cancer of blood and bone marrow where overproduction of immature white blood cells takes place in the body. She is also suffering from sepsis, a condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. She had undergone one cycle of chemotherapy and waiting to undergo the next one. She urgently needs to continue this intense chemotherapy for three months followed by a bone marrow transplant. She is currently admitted to the ICU because of her fever and sepsis.Vaishnavi with her family before the diagnosis
"Everyday in the morning, the moment she opens her eyes, she takes a look around where she is. I know she is wondering whether all this was a bad dream and she was at home. She soon realises it was not and that she is in the hospital. We are unable to do anything but watch her suffer this way every day. She has also become so weak that she hardly responds to us. " - Janaki.