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“When our baby girl was born, it was like I was given a second chance at motherhood. My husband and I vowed to do everything we could to protect her. Only days after her birth, however, our worst nightmare started coming true. And now the disease that killed our first child, threatens to take our sweet angel away from us too...” - Kanthi, mother
An oral fungal infection tapped into their deepest fears
Kanthi and Vijay felt a disturbing sense of deja vu, when their 22-day-old baby girl developed a fungal infection in her mouth. Without thinking twice, Vijay sold all their valuables to buy plane tickets to Chennai, to get her treated at an equipped hospital. Having lost one baby previously to a disease that had similar symptoms, they didn’t wish to take any chances with their second.“During the whole 2 hour flight from Port Blair to Chennai, the thought of going through the pain of losing my child again had me sweating and trembling. I prayed and prayed that it wasn’t what we thought it was, but deep down I knew there was no denying it. I just hoped that this time around, we would be able to save our baby.” - Kanthi
Their daughter has the same disease that took their first baby's life
In 2019, the couple lost their firstborn to a rare genetic condition called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). At 3 months old, he developed a fungal infection in the mouth. They hadn’t been particularly alarmed and assumed it was something that commonly happened to newborns. He was treated locally, but they saw no improvements in his condition. Soon, he started to have breathing problems, but the doctor had told them it was because of his premature birth and underdeveloped lungs. When they’d finally found out the cause, it had been too late.
SCID affects the white-blood cells in the blood, causing the immune system to weaken, and limits the body’s ability to fight infections.Their 45-day-old baby girl was also diagnosed with SCID, and now the fear of losing her too grips at their heart. SCID can be life-threatening, if left untreated, and the only curative option is a bone marrow transplant.
“We came here with only 2 lakh rupees in our hands, hoping that it would be enough for her treatment. We assumed she would only require a few injections, medicines and some days in the hospital, at most. I never thought it would be much more serious. I have used up everything I had in our baby’s treatment so far. Now, they tell us that a bone marrow transplant is her only option, but it is so expensive! I can never afford it!” - Vijay, father
Having exhausted all their resources, they’re at their wits end
With each passing day, their baby’s condition takes a turn for the worse. Currently, she’s unable to drink milk because of the oral infection, and is having difficulty breathing. Her stomach has also swelled up. The sooner she gets the bone marrow transplant, the better it will be for her. But the exorbitant cost of the procedure is way beyond her parents’ means.“I am only a daily-wage labourer, but being so far away from home, I haven’t been able to work at all. We live in a small room provided by our relatives and some days, we even go without eating because we don’t have the money for food. Our baby is our whole world, and our priority right now. We just want to see her grow up healthy and happy. But I’m failing to afford the one thing that can save her because I don’t have any money..” - Vijay
These parents are turning to you for support. Without your help, they could lose their second child to this dreadful disease. Your contributions can save their baby. Click here to donate.
