"That is the part that hurts me most. As his parents, we have never even heard him speak loudly to someone. To see a little child who has always been so quiet, so caring, so understanding writhe in pain this way is heart-breaking."
At 8, Mohit Lokesh is quite different from other children.
In the classroom, or on the playground, he would not be the first one to catch your attention. He is a shy and silent boy. It is his love for his family (especially his 5-year-old sister), and his maturity that makes him stand out."It surprises me, how well such a little boy can understand the situation and limitations of his parents. We have never had a complaint about him from school, or from the locality. He has never had a fight with any of the other boys, or even with his own sister. He is so loving at such a young age!" his father 's grief is momentarily replaced by pride.
He had always had a wheezing problem.
Every time he faced difficulty in breathing, the family would have to rush him to a doctor. Due to financial constraints they could not take him to a good doctor, and were compelled to follow the medications given by the doctors they consulted."We would go to the doctor, who would give us medicines and send us back, and we had neither the knowledge nor the means to contest what they said, but the problem would always come back, getting worse each time."
It was around two weeks back that his condition worsened like never before.
They did go to the doctors they usually consulted, but the medication did little to help little Mohit, who was having difficulty breathing. Desperate to save their son, his parents rushed him to Manipal hospital, as recommended by a friend."This was the first time there was a diagnosis. The doctors here are so nice, they actually sat and talked to us. They told us what the problem was and explained to us what it means."
Mohit is suffering from Pneumonia, with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Acute Kidney Injury. He needed immediate support and treatment, and was put on the ventilator.
He has been on Ventilator support since then, and is expected to need another week of intensive care in the ICU of the hospital besides other medication. The estimated cost of the treatment is around 6 lakh in all.
Mohit's father Lokesh is an auto-driver.
He earns around 10-12000 a month. This amount does not allow him to provide for an unforeseen emergency like this one. He has already spent 5-6 lakh on situational medicines and temporary treatments in the past, and is struggling to pay even the interest on this sum, that he had borrowed from people.Due to Mohit's condition, he has been unable to go to work, and has therefore not been able to earn much off late.
Mohit's little sister misses him. She keeps asking when her brother will come back.
"What can I tell her? It is the same question that bothers me, and I tell her the same thing I tell myself-- He will be back soon."
Your support can help Mohit make it back home to his family.
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