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“I look at my old photos and then at my reflection in the mirror and feel like crying. It is not a nice feeling. Those girls who used to study with me, now run away seeing me. They say things like, ‘look at her, one eye is small and the other is big'. I have become an outcast.” – Laxmi Meena.
18-year-old Laxmi Meena is suffering from retro-orbital tumour in the left eye, which is an abnormal growth of tissue in the structures surrounding the eye. Doctors have said that if not operated on, this will damage the eye and nose. If the nose gets damaged, it’ll affect her breathing and eventually kill the young girl.
The tumour blurs her vision, leaves her with a terrible headache
According to her mother Santosh, it has been four years since her daughter has been suffering from this condition. In the beginning, her eye was not this big; it gradually grew with time. Today, Laxmi’s vision is badly impacted, and she cannot even read properly, and faces other health issues too.“My eyes can't take it and only minutes later, I am forced to put the book aside and rest. Once, I had a severe nosebleed, and water splashed my eye while I was washing my mouth and it started to hurt. Worse than all this is when I catch people staring at me like I am some monster. I am living a nightmare.” - Laxmi, tearfully.
Poverty is standing between her and her path to recovery
Laxmi Meena is one of the three children of Giriraj and Santosh Meena, who live in abject poverty in Rajasthan. Giriraj, Laxmi’s father, works as a daily labourer and earns a meagre sum of INR 3,000 a month, which isn’t enough to take care of his family of five.
According to doctors, Laxmi would need surgical intervention, and facial reconstruction. Her treatments, which will last two months, will cost approximately INR 20 lakhs.
“My parents are always tensed about my condition. They are running from one hospital to the other, hoping that their daughter will get cured, but no doctor here is willing to take the risk. Even if they are, they are asking for lakhs, which we don’t have. They have a lot of dreams and I want to fulfil them after getting treated.” - Laxmi.
With your kind help, this bright teen can undergo the treatment she requires and live a better life. Click here to contribute.
Charity No : 319201431163
