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"Sometimes, I want to forget the truth because I don't have much strength left to fight it. Not a single day has passed where we were not terrified of losing our daughter to a cardiac arrest. Her maternal grandfather collapsed due to a heart attack right in front of her eyes and that has created a huge fear in her mind. She asked us if this is how she will die too if her heart surgery doesn't happen soon and I just froze hearing that, unable to answer her." - Apurba, father
Several obstructions have damaged this little girl's heart
Within 3 months of their daughter's birth in 2006, Keya and Apurba knew something was troubling their little baby. Whenever she cried, pale blue patches would appear around her lips and leave her breathless. They knew this was definitely not a normal occurrence.Even though these parents were hopeful that it would be something minor, they didn't want to take any risks and took her to a bigger hospital across the city. Her tests soon revealed that she has a combination of 4 heart defects, making it harder for the blood to flow out without any obstruction inside her body. The only way to rectify this was through surgery but the doctors asked them to wait till their baby weighed at least 10 kgs to operate on her.
She underwent 3 surgeries but still needs another one to survive
"How could I wait for another 3-4 years when I knew my daughter's heart was failing rapidly? We took her to so many other hospitals but all of them refused because she was just so weak from low birth weight. I just begged my husband to take her to a hospital where they agreed to insert an artificial valve in her heart and save her anyhow. We spent everything we had earned till date for that to finally happen. But just when we thought we had saved our daughter and everything would turn normal again, they informed us that she would need more surgeries down the years as this is just a temporary solution."- Keya, mother
Their daughter underwent two more surgeries in 2013 and 2019 to replace the artificial valve again, and insert a stent. Each of the valves would function only for a limited time and today, yet again their daughter is in urgent need of another pulmonary valve implantation surgery costing Rs.17 lakhs. The pulmonary valve controls the blood flow from the heart to lungs and without repairing it, it would lead to dire consequences like a stroke or heart failure.
His own parents have refused to see his face, but still this father is determined to save his daughter
Her blood pressure shoots up and down so often that even at 16 years of age, this young girl's parents don't let her get out of their sight. She cannot walk without gasping and her oxygen saturation levels need to be constantly monitored. Amidst all this, she would go to school just to write her board exams but her ailing health put a halt to that as well. Seeing her condition deteriorate day by day, her grandparents have started shunning her and refused to keep her at their home anymore."We enrolled her for school but her health complications made it impossible for her to study. It was extremely difficult for us to discontinue her schooling but we wanted to save every penny for her surgery. To gather lakhs of rupees year after year has put me in a very miserable spot. My own parents have refused to see my face because they have asked me to not waste anymore money on her treatment, so how can I expect help from others?" - Apurba, father
Working as a farmer, Apurba can't rely on a fixed income. Sometimes, he gets a good yield and sometimes he incurs huge losses. Amidst all this, he has taken huge loans for his daughter's surgeries but he is still very far away from the goal amount needed for her surgery. These parents wish to see their daughter grow up, but if they don't get her surgery soon, they may not have more time left to spend with her.
Please click here to help prevent their daughter's heart from failing with this surgery.
Identity of the child is protected in adherence to government guidelines.
