“Her eyes are always yellow and she’s always in terrible pain. I am not able to do anything to take away her pain.”At the age of 7, Dimpul Lakshmi was just another happy child, with school and friends and a normal life. All that changed when she got diagnosed with Chronic Liver disease, due to which her liver has completely failed. She now needs a liver transplant urgently to survive. She's currently being treated at Rainbow Children's Hospital, in Hyderabad. Dimpul's family belongs from a remote village in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, where even access to medical facilities is hard.
Dimpul lost precious time due to multiple misdiagnoses
“First they said it was jaundice, then that it was dengue. Finally, they said that if my daughter doesn’t get a liver transplant within a week, her life is at stake...”Everything happened so fast for Dimpul. 2 months ago, she started complaining of pain in her stomach. Murali Mohan, her father took her to a local doctor who prescribed some over the counter medication for the same. On the 2nd of December, he saw that Dimpul's stomach was exceptionally swollen and was causing her a lot of pain. He rushed her to a hospital in Tirupati, which was the nearest accessible medical facility. Looking at her condition, they diagnosed her with jaundice. They immediately hospitalized her and put her on medication.
After a week, when there was no improvement in her condition, Murali got furious with the hospital staff, asking them for a thorough evaluation. Upon inspection, they concluded it to be dengue. Dissatisfied with their diagnosis and care, Murali took Dimpul to Bengaluru, when finally upon running all the tests, the real problem came to the front. It was liver failure due to chronic liver disease. Doctors told Murali that his daughter doesn't have long unless a transplant is done urgently."All this delay in proper diagnosis has put her in a critical condition. Now, although we have found the right doctor, her condition is deteriorating very fast, making an early transplant extremely essential. If the surgery doesn't happen, Dimpul's life is at high-risk."
Murali had big plans for his family, but now all he can think of is saving his daughter
Murali is an auto-rickshaw driver who makes hardly enough money to eat everyday. Within this limited amount, he’s been getting both his children - Dimpul and her younger brother Dinesh, educated in English medium schools.
"I made my wife complete her B.Ed, not just so she could work and contribute towards the family income, but also because I understand how important education is for a better life. I am illiterate. I don't want my family to suffer because of this. But all his planning for his family’s future got thrown off tracks when Dimpul got diagnosed with liver failure."
Since Dimpul fell sick, she hasn’t been going to school, and even though she’s only in the second grade, she’s worried about missing school and falling behind in her academics. Little does she know the gravity of her illness. Murali and his wife Padmaja can only pray and fight tooth and nail to save their daughter from a terrible and untimely fate.
For an auto-rickshaw driver, affording a liver transplant is unimaginably hard
“I am her donor, if only donating the liver were enough. Unfortunately, it also requires more money than what I can afford.”After getting the necessary tests done, the doctors confirmed that Murali is a suitable donor. All he needs to do is, to put together the funds needed for the surgery, which is coming to Rs 16 lakhs.
So far, Murali has spent over Rs 3 lakh on her treatment, which is a huge amount for someone in his financial condition. Moreover, he didn’t have any savings because all his earnings were being used for household expenses and his family’s education.
How can you help?
He has sought help from his friends and also sold off the only piece of land he had, in order to put funds together for Dimpul’s treatment. But the expense of the surgery is too high for him to manage. Dimpul is in a very critical condition and every minute is crucial for her. Let Murali’s poverty not be the cause of this little soul’s suffering.Your contribution can help Murali save his daughter.
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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