“I can’t stay in the same room with Jumana for more than a few minutes. It breaks my heart to see her like this. She understands that and smiles at me. ‘Do I look that bad?” - she asks me. My eyes fill with tears. Why did it have to be her?” - Haseeb, wiping his tears, as he talks about his sister, Jumana.
She is 27 and is fighting blood cancer. She has lost her hair. She is pale and frail.Her only hope at getting better is a bone marrow transplant.
We thought it was work stress, only if we knew…
Jumana is the younger of the two siblings but she is as responsible as her elder brother, Haseeb. It’s been a few years since their father, Mujib, has retired from work. And since then, Haseeb and Jumana have been working very hard to keep their family afloat.“She has never missed a day’s work. Always punctual and hard-working, she is a favourite at her office too. So when she started getting fever and body pain, we thought it was because of the extra workload that she takes on. But the test results shook us to the core! Cancer, she has cancer now,” - Haseeb, brother.
He's shuttling between work and hospital, desperately trying to save his sister
Haseeb and Jumana have been very close since childhood. Not a day passes when they don’t call to check on each other. They live in different places in Mumbai but never fail to meet over the weekend. But for the last two months, since Jumana’s cancer has been diagnosed, Haseeb has not had a peaceful night’s sleep.“He is the only one in the family who is doing all the running around. He is shuttling between work and the hospital. I can see he is tired and hungry but he doesn’t let me ask these questions. The only thought in his mind is how he can cure his sister,” - Rukhsana, mother.
In the last two months, they have spent over 12 lakhs. Their relatives and family friends have come forward in their hour of need. But now the need is a lot more.
“We need 40 lakhs for the bone marrow transplant. My husband’s savings are all over and he is too old and sick to get any work now. My children - they hardly have anything left. I look at Jumana and feel so helpless. We want to save her but without your help, that is impossible,” - Rukhsana, mother.
A generous contribution from your side can save this young woman's life
