Hello. My name is Bhima Shankar. I am 10 years old. Most children my age are healthy. They can go out with their friends, play cricket, enjoy the rains, get dirty and even roll in germs if they wish. Me? My parents would keep me in a bubble if they could. I have a condition called, Thalassemia Major. Not many people understand it. I did not know about it until I was much older, took me a while to understand. It is a kind of anemia, and I have to keep getting blood transfusions to stay alive.
My parents, Mahadevappa and Bhagya, realized I have this disease when I was 3 months old. You see it is a genetic disorder. I have been sick since I was born. My parents noticed I was pale and I was not putting on any weight. I was also having fever constantly, and thankfully the doctors did not take long to diagnose me.
For 10 years, my father has been taking me to the hospital every 20 days to get blood transfusions. Without them, I would not be alive.
I have 2 younger sisters. My father and mother work hard to make a living for all of us. Appa manufactures rubber stamps. Amma helps him in the business. He makes a maximum of Rs. 12,000/month. But my medical expenses amount to Rs. 12,000/month. It is because of this that he ventures out to take more orders. He puts more effort into that farmland we have, so our household expenses and our education is covered. It has been difficult for them. I can tell. But Appa has never given up on me.
Sometimes, it gets a few days late in going to get the transfusion, because we do not have the money. I try not to tell them, but my hands and legs start hurting. I cannot hide it after a while. Everything begins to swell, and Appa is forced to rush me to the hospital.
Initially, we were going to Sholapur from our native village in Bijapur for the treatment. A friend of mine had the same condition and got better after a bone marrow transplant at Narayana Health in Bangalore. So, Appa began consulting with the doctors there. Every month, we come to Bangalore. It is quite stressful. Sometimes, the journey makes me sick, but the doctors take good care of me.
I go to school. I’m in 2nd standard when I should really be in a higher class. I don’t get to play and enjoy as much as my friends because any infection could affect me very badly. I cannot go out in the sun for long. I cannot risk catching a cold or fever. It could take my life. It puts me in the hospital, sometimes and Appa can’t afford it. I can see the kind of stress my family is under. This disease is taking its toll on all of us.
Appa says I can beat this disease. He said I do not have to stay in fear of what might happen. I can play too. I can grow up to be strong and do as I wish. I have so many dreams, and I can fulfill them. I need a bone marrow transplant. Without the surgery, I know what could happen to my life. I want to live, not just survive or exist.
Appa cannot afford the cost. It is over Rs. 12.5 Lakhs. In 10 years, every month he has spent Rs. 12,000 for me. He has not been able to save that much money.
I ask for your help, to give us a chance to live. My father, my mother, my sisters, and me. So far, we have all been surviving, struggling to get by on whatever we had. If my health gets better. We can have a simple and happy life.
I can have a life, with your help.
Supporting Documents
The specifics of this case have been verified by the medical team at the concerned hospital. For any clarification on the treatment or associated costs, contact the campaign organizer or the medical team.
