“Look, son. Look, it’s me, it's amma. Do you recognize me?”
For the past few weeks, Buchamma has been asking 15-year-old Dinesh these questions every time he opens his eyes. But the response she gets from her bedridden son is always the same:
Silence.
Dinesh was hospitalized for a life-threatening case of pneumonia nearly 2 weeks ago, and his life has been hanging by a thread ever since. An infection has caused his lungs to fill with pus, making breathing nearly impossible for him. He needs to be on constant ventilator support, without which he will suffocate to death.
Buchamma already lost her husband, just weeks ago
“I feel so lost... My husband... he passed away a few weeks ago. Dinesh had started coughing, and then he collapsed. We were rushing him to a hospital when, on the way, my husband had a heart attack. When we reached the hospital, they both were hospitalized. Dinesh managed to hang on, barely. But my husband...”
This isn’t Dinesh’s first brush with death
Two years ago, Dinesh was diagnosed with dengue. It had been a very rough time for the family, as they weren’t sure if Dinesh would be able to make it. It had cost them every little bit of money they had, and loans on top of that, to pull Dinesh back from the brink of death. As a daily-wager, Buchamma’s husband spent years trying to repay those loan, until his unfortunate demise a few weeks ago.
This desperate mother only has you to rely on now
“I don’t know what to do, or whom to ask for help. I have no land, no jewelry, no source of income. I’ve been staying with my brother and his wife. Without them, I wouldn’t have a roof over my head either. He needs to stay in the ICU for weeks more! Where am I going to get the 6.5 lakhs I need for that?!”
Only you can help this family now. Please donate as much as you can; every contribution counts, big or small.
