It breaks my heart. It was my baby’s birthday this week, she just turned two. But instead of wearing a new frock, she has to wear a hospital gown. Instead of running around and playing like she used to, she’s bedridden and fighting for her life!
My little one is battling cancer. How will someone so small defeat such a huge disease?!
— Mohammed, Arshiya’s father
In general, babies need to eat frequently and consistently to promote healthy growth. Any loss in appetite, or an inability to eat properly, is a cause for concern. This is exactly why Mohammed and Sultana took little Arshiya to a family friend, a doctor, in the first week of February this year. They had not been prepared to hear the words that came out of his mouth.
“We took her to a doctor we know to get some simple tests done, thinking maybe she had a stomach bug. When the results came back, he seemed a little stunned. He said that it wasn’t a stomach bug... it was cancer!”
Arshiya, right before her chemotherapyA bigger hospital confirmed it, and she has been on chemotherapy since
“To be sure, we took her to a bigger hospital and they ran more specialized tests. The results confirmed it, and they said she needed urgent chemotherapy. The first time they gave her chemo, she cried so much! The needle, the unfamiliar surroundings, all the strangers, my baby girl was terrified! Sultana was crying too, we felt so helpless. All I could do was hold her other hand and tell her it would be okay, but I myself didn’t know what the future held! I started praying then, and I haven’t stopped since!”
Arshiya, nowBaby Arshiya can only survive with continued and regular chemotherapy
Arshiya has acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), blood cancer. Currently, while she’s on chemotherapy, she’s suffering from frequent infections, constant fever, and pain throughout her tiny body. If her chemo stops for any reason going forward, her symptoms will get much worse. She’ll start bleeding from her nose and mouth, and start feeling like she’s being suffocated, before inevitably passing away. But continuing her treatment is not possible for her father anymore.
'I’m an auto-driver, I can’t arrange 8 lakhs before my baby passes away!'
“I’ve done everything I can think of to arrange the money. I’ve sold everything I could, I begged people, I’ve borrowed so much money I’ll live in debt for years to come. With all that I was able to afford 3 months of chemo, but she needs years of treatment! I’m completely broke now. Please, you have to help us. Help my daughter live!”
Innocent little Arshiya deserves to have a great childhood and a long life, but cancer is threatening to take away both. You can help, by clicking here and donating generously.
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