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“She went for her friend’s birthday party and returned home complaining of pain in her leg. That day, her life changed. At first, I didn’t think it was anything serious, but she soon ended up in a hospital for a checkup. That was no ordinary checkup. My only daughter, who is just 11, has blood cancer. Who would have thought our happiness would end there?” - Venu, mother
It was only a sprain, or so they thought
What appeared to be swelling due to a sprain ended up being a cancerous tumor. Shivani is diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of blood cancer. She needs to undergo a bone marrow transplant to recover. Also, regular cycles of chemotherapy are required. The entire treatment would cost around 10 lakhs which is an impossible amount for these parents to afford.
I earn less than Rs. 300 in a day, I can't afford the treatment costing lakhs
“I have no words to explain my situation. I work in a small factory and earn less than Rs 300 a day. I had no money to even travel to Bangalore from our hometown in Bijapur. On knowing that we need lakhs to save my daughter, my mind is blank. I have started asking everybody I know for help - I don’t know how to save my daughter.” – Shivayogi, father
Shivani is completely unaware of her condition and begs her parents to take her back home. She seems terrified of being in the hospital and is irritated with the medicines. Her parents have convinced her that she has a fever and needs to be at the hospital for a few days until she recovers.
“We have not told Shivani anything yet. How do we even tell her the truth? I don’t know how long we can keep telling her that she just has a fever. Until last month, she has never been to a hospital. I do not remember her falling sick ever and now she is battling for life. How fast things change…”- Venu, Mother
