Most days you will find Marimuthu and his wife, Seethalakshmi begging outside Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai. Seethalakshmi has a BA in English literature and Marimuthu had to drop out from American College due to lack of fees. With certification in stenography, fluency in English language, what pushed this couple stand outside a temple and beg for alms?
Dhanusri is a 7-year-old fighting for cancer. These days you will find her in the Pediatric ward of Meenakshi Mission Hospital. The only child of Marimuthu and Seethalakshmi, she lost her an eye to cancer when was a 3-month-old baby girl. It was Marimuthu’s worst nightmare come true, especially because he and his wife were born blind.
As a baby, she never squinted in bright light
“It was like any other day. Amma had just oiled Dhanusri and took her out in the sun. They say sunlight is good for babies. She screamed to call us out. I don't know why I got this sinking feeling in my chest that something is wrong! Amma told us Dhanusri is not blinking at all!”, Marimuthu’s eyes welled up recalling that painful morning.
They took Dhanusri to a local hospital where reports confirmed that she had Retinoblastoma, cancer in the eyes. Despite aggressive treatment, Dhanusri lost an eye to the disease. But it did not stop them from doing everything possible to fight this battle. Dhanusri has been fighting this visual disability like champ and has been regularly going to school.
Just when they thought this battle was over, they spotted a lump on Dhanusri's leg
Unfortunately for these parents, their daughter's affected eye had to be surgically removed. In 2016 she had a relapse. Dhanusri complained of severe pain in her left leg. When a small boil aggravated to a lump, they knew this was not normal. Soon Dhanusri was down with high fever and could not walk from her bed to the bathroom. The nightmare was back. Marimuthu rushed little Dhanusri to the hospital. The reports confirmed it was relapse. Marimuthu used all his resources to get the best treatment for Dhanusri and today she might lose other other eye too!“We always wanted to have a child. When my wife was expecting Dhanusri, we were happy but equally worried. What if she is born blind too?”
Save her before it claims her life again
At 7 years, her life is still in danger from this cancer. To ensure that she is safe and her life is not a battle, Dhanusri needs high dose chemo and an Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation. This will cost about Rs. 8,00,000. The parents have no financial support system and have exhausted everything they have got in the past 7 years of struggle against cancer.
How can you help?
Dhanusri is very close to beating this disease forever. If she gets the transplant, she can say goodbye to cancer. Her resilience through the painful blood transfusions and chemo sessions proof enough that she is a fighter. Both Marimuthu and Seethalakshmi have been wrtiting postal and goverment exams to fetch a job. He earns not more than Rupees 2,000 a month as a keyboard player with a choir group. His income is barely enough to cover Dhanusri's everyday antibiotics. Medical expenses since January have already been a struggle. It's not easy for a parent to see his child fight complications this grave.Your contribution will give this little girl a shot at living her life without pain for the first time.
Supporting Document
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.
Click here to help save Dhanusri's life.
