“As adults, we get so tired when we're sick. A child going through that every other day is much worse. Sometimes, I cannot sleep thinking about it. My son has been suffering his whole life. Even a cold can take his life. I’d do anything to save his life. I can’t lose another child.”
Havish has been diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, commonly known as Bubble-Boy Disease. Since he was born, he has been suffering diarrhea, fever, skin infections, heart problems and other complications and the infections are only getting more and more deadly. Only a bone-marrow transplant can cure him.
Havish at home
Havish is a 3-year-old imprisoned by his illness
Like any 3-year-old, Havish gets very excited when his father Naveen takes the bike keys to go out. Sometimes he even brings the keys to his father to indicate that he wants to go out. But unlike other children, Havish cannot go out. No matter how much he begs – he is not taken anywhere far from home. It can kill him.
“We try to keep him occupied. He is learning to write his first letters on the slate and we got him a tricycle. We take him for short walks nearby but he still asks to go out and play with other kids,” explains Naveen. The doctors have warned Naveen and his wife Keerthana not to take chances with their son's life.
Naveen and Keerthana lost their first baby to a blockage in his heart. Nothing prepared them for the painful hole the baby's death left in their hearts. When they had Havish, their pain started to heal. But their hearts sank when their one-month old baby developed a rash. That is when the family's difficult ordeal began.
His whole life, Havish has been fighting infections that can kill him
It didn't stop at the rash. Havish developed a fever, colds, respiratory infections and even a heart problem. His parents moved him to Narayana Hrudayalaya. In the last three years, Havish has constantly been on antibiotics – for one infection or another. When not on antibiotics, he needs medicines for side-effects like diarhhea, rashes and bad stomach.
Only last year, doctors diagnosed him with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. This means, his body does not have the basic defenses needed to fight and resist even the most harmless germs. Since then, he has been on antibiotics and absolutely no outside world contact.
“He is at that age when he is very interested in people. Everyone he meets gets a hug and a hundred questions. But we take him out only for medical follow-ups. Even then, he tries his best to stop at every stall, toy shops, and malls” says Naveen.
At home, Havish keeps himself busy. He cycles all over the house, writes alphabets and plays with his father in the morning. He loves it when people come home and keeps asking his parents to visit friends and relatives.
Havish with his parents
Havish does not yet know he is sick
“Last month, he developed diarhhea that lasted 15 days. He passed motion 10-12 times a day. He lost 3 kgs and became weak. He knows something is wrong. But the thought makes his face so sad – we cannot tell him that he is sick. He's just too young for the truth,” explains Keerthana.
“Whether it is a cold, cough, fever, severe diarrhea, or breathing problem – anything that may be mild to us, is life-threatening for Havish. We had to rush him to the hospital one day for fever. It was just 20 minutes away, and the ambulance was stuck in a jam for hours. That really scared us. We saved him that day, but we cannot go through that over and over,” says Keerthana.
Unfortunately for Naveen, Havish’s illness does not qualify for insurance and hecannot afford
Rs 33 Lakh estimatedfor the bone marrow transplant and the post-transplant expenses.Havish desperately needs the treatment to survive his condition.
Havish on his tricycle at homeWith time, the attacks will get worse, so he needs to stay in a sterile environment and take antibiotics to avoid falling sick. It is not possible to confine the child to such an existence and he will eventually succumb to the side effects of medications if not an infection.
Havish's parents desperately want to save their child and need your help giving him a bone-marrow transplant that will make him healthy and keep him alive.
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.
