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“She is very friendly normally, and lets other carry her. But now, the minute she sees someone in hospital uniform, she gets so scared that she starts crying. She has needed to get blood transfusions to live from when she was six months old, but she is still very scared of needles and injections. Without the words to say how she feels, she just keeps crying.” – Ramesh, Preetika’s father
Ramesh is a daily-wage worker, who wants to give his only child a better life
Preetika was born eight years after Ramesh and his wife Susheela got married. She is their miracle child – one they had prayed years for. But when she was six months old, she suddenly became very dull and just stopped moving. Her worried parents took her from their village in Hollihole to Mangalore to find out what was wrong with her.
“That is when the doctors told us she had Thalassemia Major and that she needed blood from outside to live. She had become very weak, but slowly she is getting better with regular blood. But it is not something that cures her. It is just something that keeps her alive. Doctors say we should go to Bangalore to get her a surgery. That is the only way to cure her.” – Ramesh
Ramesh spends more than half of what he earns on Preetika’s monthly treatment
Ramesh is a daily-wage worker and depending on how much work he gets, he earns Rs 10,000-12,000 per month. His wife, Susheela stays at home to look after Preetika. For every visit to the hospital, he misses work for 2-3 days and spends over Rs 6,000 to travel to the hospital, admit Preetika, and get medicines and needles.While they are managing now, they are very scared of what will happen when Preetika’s condition becomes worse, and she will need blood once a week.
“When I get work, I earn Rs 400 a day, but work is there when someone needs workers. Our daughter’s illness is only going to get worse. My wife doesn’t say much because she is very worried and bottles up her feelings. We are both somehow doing what we need to do, but there is always a worry about the future, and what might happen to our child.” – Ramesh
A bone marrow transplant is the only way Baby Preetika can get better
A bone marrow transplant in time can give her a normal life, one without sickness. Blood transfusions keep her alive, but come with a serious set of side effects in the long-term. A bone marrow transplant can help her body kickstart producing healthy blood on its own. This is why her parents are keen on getting her a bone marrow transplant as early in life as possible, even though it is well beyond their means.Help this daily-wage worker save his child and give her a healthy life. Click here to contribute.
