"My son is 6. He is just in UKG. That is why it was terrifying when 2 months ago, he held his stomach and started crying, 'Amma it is paining! It is paining! Make it stop!' I touched him and felt his body burning."
Lalitha and Subba Rao (Akhil's parents) initially thought it was a normal fever and gave him fever medication prescribed by the doctor. Within 2 days, his pain worsened and he was unable to even stand for long. When he began urinating blood, Subba Rao rushed him to the hospital.
Tests confirmed that Akhil had a deadly kidney disease
Upon consulting with the doctor, they were told that Akhil has UTI. He prescribed a 5-day course of medicines and asked them to come back for more tests if his condition didn’t improve. Instead of improving, his health got worse in those 5 days until they discovered that it was not an infection, but a condition causing major blood loss.
"We now know that Akhil's blood cells are dying at a fast rate. He has anemia, acute kidney failure, and low platelet count. It is called hemolytic uremic syndrome, and it was set off by an infection."Akhil is extremely weak now because of anemia and the family had no time left to delay his treatment. He has been hospitalized for 45 days now and within this span, he has undergone 52 blood transfusions. Furthermore, kidney failure necessitates for him to be on dialysis multiple times a day every day.
He is very scared of all the machines and monitors in the ICU
“Amma, intiki vellali. Ikkada chala bhayam vestundi. Intiki veldam pada." - Akhil (Amma I want to go home. I am getting very scared here. Please take me home now.)Akhil's treatment puts him through a lot of discomforts and mental stress. Adding to his already miserable condition, his blood pressure is always high from the anxiety and fear that grips him in the hospital. The regular dialysis has weakened him and the daily blood transfusions make him cry. His parents feel helpless looking at their little boy go through this condition.
His sisters are barely able to eat food out of anxiety for their little brother
Akhil has two older sisters, age 12 and 9. Since they got to know about their brother’s condition, they have almost stopped eating out of fear of losing their little brother.“My eldest daughter Deepika used to be with us at the hospital all the time because she wanted to see her brother as often as she could. Even though she was never allowed inside the ICU, she would look at him from a distance, and cry all the time. When she asks us when her brother will come home, we have no answer.”
Lalitha works as a ladies’ tailor and Subbarao works in a small shop in their village Tenali. Their combined income is barely enough to manage their household expenses. In order to fund his treatment, they have sold all their possession, and also borrowed money from their relatives and friends. So far, they have spent over Rs 10 lakhs over his treatment and now they are out of all resources. Moreover, from the time they have been in Guntur for his treatment, their income has been zero.
How you can help
For little Akhil to get the treatment he needs, they need all the help they can get. Even a small contribution from your end can make a big difference for Akhil and his family. They need your support for him to get better and get a second chance at lifePlease help save Akhil by contributing to his treatment.
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.
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