Help 4-year-old baby Bharath fight a deadly infection

In just a matter of 4 days, a dangerous infection threatened Bharath's life even leading to organ failure. Expert medical attention has just stabilised his condition and he is slowly getting better. He needs intensive care for a few more weeks to get better. Unfortunately, his father Nandakiran has also been ill for the last 4 months and the family has no breadwinner at the moment. The family needs your help saving Bharath. 

“On Saturday, January 14, Bharath was fine. He was acting out, making noise, we even told him off. But on Tuesday he had a fever and loose-motions. In the next two days, his condition became so bad, the doctors asked us to go to Narayana Hrudayalaya because he needed intensive care,” recalls Radheshyam, Bharath's maternal uncle. 

Since Bharath's father is also sick, it falls to him to support his sister in taking care of Bharath. Bharath's sisters Manasa and Dhanashree put a brave face so they don't worry their father, but their heart is full of fear for their baby brother as they go to school. The entire family is still in shock at how fast things went bad. 

As Radheshyam explains, Bharath was diagnosed with Epstein–Barr virus infection. In just three days, Bharath's body stopped making blood and his liver shut down. He developed severe anemia and needed blood transfusions. The first clinic he was rushed to, couldn't determine the cause of his illness and quickly recommended a speciality hospital.

Bharath's sudden, serious illness came at a very difficult time for the family. Nandikiran has been very sick with a serious lung infection for the last four months. He is shattered to learn that just as he got a little better, his youngest child was battling for his life. 

At the moment, Bharath's mother Pushpalatha and her brother handle everything related to Bharath's treatment. “My sister is very scared but she is staying strong out of necessity. Bharath's father hasn't yet visited Bharath in the hospital. We are afraid of what it will do to his health if he sees the little one strapped to so many tubes in the ICU,” says Radheshyam.

His uncle talks about Bharath with fondness. “He is a normal 4-year-old. Active, naughty and noisy. Possessive about his toys. Very diplomatic to his doting older sisters. He loves counting numbers and writing them. Now, he's not been conscious for weeks.” 

After two weeks of unending worry about Bharath, the doctors finally gave the family some good news. Bharath's liver was better and his bone-marrow was recovering and could possibly start producing blood soon. There was a very good chance for his recovery – provided the infection is aggressively attacked with antibiotics.

This means that Bharath will need to spend more time in intensive care. His father, a small-time photographer has not been working and the family spent most of their savings on his treatment. “We come from a middle-class family and beyond a point it is very difficult for us to arrange funds. We sold what little gold we have, made insurance claims and borrowed heavily to save Bharath,” his uncle explains. 

The family has already spent over 13 lakhs in Bharath's treatment so far. They need about Rs 20 lakhs to make sure the treatment is continued and his life can be saved. Please contribute to this family and help them save Bharath.