"Sometimes I just don’t pick up the phone when Bharti calls. What will I tell her after picking up the phone? Our daughter, Payal, is still struggling for her life and I don’t know if I can save her. I don’t want to lie to her. Payal can’t breathe without the ventilator support. She needs to be in the ICU for longer but how will I afford the treatment,” - Mahesh, father.
It’s been 13 days and Mahesh and Bharti’s 2-year-old, Payal is in a critical state. She hasn’t even opened her eyes for more than a few seconds.
She had a high fever and breathing trouble - the local doctors had given up
13 days ago Payal started running a high temperature. Soon, she couldn’t breathe - she was huffing.“She couldn’t even sit if you made her do so. She was so weak. Then she suddenly held her chest and started crying out loud. We didn’t waste a single minute. We immediately took her to Jaipur in a car, all the while hoping that she survives this journey. Payal was admitted to the hospital immediately - tests showed that she had suffered a heart attack."
I wait outside the ICU door, fearing every minute that I will hear bad news
Bharti and Mahesh have a younger daughter who is just 1. When they came to Jaipur, they had no choice but to bring the baby with them. But keeping the baby in the hospital would mean exposing her to infections. So Bharti had no choice but to go back home. Mahesh, on the other hand, is struggling to gather funds for Payal. He anxiously waits outside the ICU - his heart skips a beat every time the doctors call him. He fears they will tell her that Payal is no more.“For the last few days I have been sleeping on the chairs in the waiting hall, eating food only when my relatives manage to bring something. There have been so many days when I have had nothing to eat. But all this would have no meaning if I can’t save my daughter.” Bit
Mahesh is a daily wager in a small village in Rajasthan - he barely makes Rs 200 a day.
He has already spent over a lakh after borrowing from his relatives. But he needs another 5 lakhs to continue Payal’s treatment.“I look at her shut eyes, tubes on her mouth and I am reminded of her smiling eyes. How did everything change so fast? Now my daughter’s life is hanging from a thin thread. You’re my only hope, please help me - I beg you.”
Bharti wiping her tears as she bid goodbye to Payal before going back to the village.
A small, contribution from your side can make a big difference to this desperate father. You can save little Payal's life
