“My daughter has been fighting for her life for over 17 years. She is so close to recovering completely- but we cannot afford the cost for the same.”
Sukumar and Arulmani are the parents of 25-year-old Santhoshe. Sukumar works in insurance, and Arulmani has a small tailoring shop. The family hails from Mayiladudurai in Tamil Nadu.
Her first surgery was 17 years ago- to remove the fluid in her brain
Santhoshe was a healthy normal child. When she was in 4th standard, she complained of a severe headache. Her parents assumed it was an eye problem and took her to a doctor for spectacles. However, the spectacles did not make a difference, the doctor suggested a brain scan. Sukumar and Arulmani did the scan- but they never imagined what they would find.
Her parents rushed her to VHS in Madras to get her treated. This was the first operation in 2000- where doctors performed a micro surgery to remove the fluid in the brain. Two years later, another surgery was done to block the fluid that was accumulating in the brain.
This was the beginning of multiple surgeries for Santhoshe
After her surgery in 2005, Santhoshe was fine until 2010. Her parents had just begun to believe that their only daughter was recovering but when she began to complain of a headache again, they feared the worst.
Over seventeen years, Santhoshe has undergone five surgeries. Doctors have scheduled a sixth surgery- and they are hopeful that this could be the last one, if successful.
“She has been fighting for 17 years. She has been the strong one in the family. How can we give up on her? How can we tell her we cannot afford her surgery?”
After one of her surgeries, Santhoshe lost her memory.
In 2005, after an operation where doctors opened her skull for an operation, Santhoshe suffered memory loss. She forgot to read and write. Her mother sat with her daughter every single day with a slate and taught her how to write, and even addition and subtraction.
Santhoshe was determined to have a normal life
Despite her severe illness, Santhoshe managed to finish college. Her principal offered to have a scribe to write her exam, but Santhoshe refused.
“I’ve written 34 papers on my own. If a scribe writes the last two for me, I will not feel like I deserve my degree.”
Santhoshe graduated with a B.Com degree and even started working as a system engineer In 2014. But her tumour came back, and her body couldn’t handle the stress of work
How you can help
Over 17 years, Santhoshe’s family has spent more than Rs 25 lakhs on her treatment. Multiple surgeries followed by medications have cost them immensely- to the point where they cannot afford her last surgery. Arulmani and Sukumar are terrified that their daughter cannot recover without this surgery.
Our support will help Santhoshe stay alive.
Supporting Documents
The specifics of this case have been verified by the medical team at the concerned hospital. For any clarification on the treatment or associated costs, contact the campaign organizer or the medical team.
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