Share
“10 years is a long time to be suffering like this, and though she has been receiving treatment all this while, she has never gotten used to the painful needles, the debilitating weakness and the other unpleasant things that come with this condition. We have also exhausted everything we had in the process of keeping her alive, and striving to give her a normal life. Now, they say that a bone marrow transplant is not only the cure to her condition, but also the only thing that can save her…” - Karishma, mother
Several hospitalisations later, they learned of her blood disorder
While Manasa had been healthy for most of the first year of her life, it was when she’d hit the 10 month mark that things took a turn for the worse. The little girl began to suffer from severe symptoms that had her parents spooked. Vomiting spells, diarrhoea, loss of appetite and constant fevers had left her completely weak and unable to move.“The medicines we got her from a local clinic did nothing for her, and the fevers wouldn’t stop either. From the blood tests, we found out that she has a low blood count. So she was given a blood transfusion. But this started becoming repetitive, and she had to be admitted several times over the course of 2 months. Even then, we had no idea what was causing this. It was much later, at a bigger hospital, that we were told about her blood disorder.” - Karishma
Smiling through the pain, she's been relying on transfusions to survive all these years
Manasa has thalassemia major, a rare blood disorder that hampers new blood cell production and limits the supply of oxygen to the organs in the body due to less than normal levels of haemoglobin. So, since the time of her diagnosis, she has been dependent on monthly blood transfusions just to stay alive.“I dread to think about the fact if it weren’t for the transfusions, our child wouldn’t be here with us. It started with one transfusion every 2 months, but her condition progressed at such a rapid pace that it increased the need drastically. Now, she needs one transfusion every 2 weeks or so. The doctors have cautioned us that we should arrange for a bone marrow transplant, as frequent transfusions will put her at risk of iron overload and other infections. When I don't even know how I will afford our next meal, how can I possibly afford this costly procedure?” - Sachin, father
An autorickshaw driver with nothing to his name, he is unable to save his daughter
After all these years of living with this disorder, it has come to a point now where Manasa’s fragile health has put her life at risk. Transfusions were able to sustain her thus far, but a bone marrow transplant can give her a chance to live a normal life - one devoid of needles and numerous medicines. According to doctors, the more her bone marrow transplant is delayed, the more slim her chances of survival will be.But her father, auto-driver, has no way to meet the costs of such an expensive treatment. Sachin drives a rented auto rickshaw and earns only INR 300 a day from driving passengers around - which is how the family gets by. There are also instances when they don’t have enough money to feed themselves, and during those times, it’s challenging to keep Manasa’s treatment going.
“I don’t know what to tell you about our financial condition right now. We’ve spent over and above our capacity by borrowing from relatives and even selling my wife’s jewellery. But it’s still not enough. No matter how hard I try, there is no way I can gather 16.5 lakh rupees — at least, not in this lifetime. It’s come to a point where we are sacrificing our meals just so we can continue our daughter’s blood transfusions. But all in all, I’m at a complete loss as to what to do…” - Sachin
These parents are in dire straits, and need your help urgently to save their daughter from this blood disorder that threatens her life. Click here to donate and enable Manasa to undergo the transplant.
