"My daughter will have 0% chance of survival without a liver transplant. She hasn't lived 5 or 50 years for us to consider other options. No. She is 5 months old, and she has been suffering every day."
It struck these parents odd when their baby girl had jaundice for over 2 months despite treatment. Their world shattered when they learned she had a chronic liver problem. Benakashree needs a liver transplant urgently, otherwise, it would be very difficult to save her life.Nothing helped to cure her jaundice
Shilpa and Suresh are from a village near Shimoga where Suresh works as an accountant for Rs. 10,000. They were comfortable enough to start a family and could not conceal their joy when their daughter Benakashree was born. Even as a newborn, she was a happy baby who lit up the room with her beautiful smile.
"When she was around 1 month old, Benaka got jaundice. It is common for babies her age, and we took great care. Even after 1 month of treatment, her symptoms did not reduce and that is not normal. We took her to a local hospital and there they diagnosed her of a liver problem. When she was around 2 and half months of age, she had a gall bladder surgery, but it did not help."
Racing against the clock. She has just few days left.
Baby Benaka has Biliary Atresia. Her bile ducts are blocked due to which her liver is failing, and it is hardly functioning at this point. So far, she has been on medical management, but time's running out to save her. The first surgery cost Rs. 50,000 which Suresh was able to fund from his savings. Now, a liver transplant is the only curative treatment and the estimated cost of Rs. 15.6 Lakhs in addition to post-transplant expenses of Rs. 15,000 every month is something this family cannot afford.
"Her body has turned completely yellow. She cannot digest the milk she feeds on, and her stool is white in color when it has to be yellow. She is not putting on any weight. This worries us. We keep watching her like a hawk because the doctor has given us signs to look for - signs that would tell us that her condition is deteriorating."
He needs help to save his daughter's life
Suresh has been reaching out to his friends who have come together to support him. They are crediting whatever they can afford - Rs. 1,000-3,000 - for Benaka's treatment. He has taken unpaid leave from work to stay by his daughter's bedside in Bangalore until the worst has passed. Both Suresh and Shilpa need hope in this dark situation."We are extremely stressed thinking about her survival, and the only thing keeping us going is her smile. Despite what she is going through, she is active. She is smiling all the time, kicking around. Once they bring in those injections and start poking at her when she gets worse, then we will lose that smile. I know every parent would say it, but I want my daughter to stay alive. 5 months? That's not a life."
Benaka's chance for survival is 0% without this transplant, and it has to happen soon before her condition deteriorates further.
You can help this baby girl live.
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.Click here to save baby Benakashree
