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“At 15 years old, my son has borne a lifetime of suffering. He was only a child when the problems with his liver started and even after all these years, it shows no sign of subsiding. We’ve done more than we could, yet it comes back in some form or other to torment my child. Now, they say there is a post-transplant complication and he needs urgent surgery for that. I’ve almost lost my son once, I cannot go through that again. I won’t be able to survive if something happens to him.” - Vasantha, mother
Diagnosed with a severe liver infection, he needed an emergency transplant
In early 2016, Vasantha’s son unexpectedly fell very ill and suffered from high fevers. At first his mother thought that he may have been pushing himself too hard at school. But soon, she realised that his skin was turning yellow and so were his eyes. His body swelled up and he also had difficulty passing urine, and when he did urinate, it was deep yellow in colour.“At first, his symptoms seemed like tell-tale signs of jaundice and so that was what he was diagnosed with. Later, we found out that the jaundice was caused by a severe infection that had damaged his liver, to the point that his life depended on a transplant. So many emotions went through me at the time - shock, dread and crippling fear.I didn’t know what to do.” - Vasantha
“He underwent an emergency liver transplant with me as his donor. I had been so relieved, because up until then, I was terrified. Numerous questions would prod at me at every minute of the day - ‘Will my son be able to get surgery?’, ‘Will he be okay?’, ‘Am I going to lose my son?’. I cried tears of joy when the doctor said his transplant was a success, and my worries were put to ease. But even that didn’t last long…” - Vasantha
Right after his transplant, doctor’s detected an issue in his urinary system that required a surgically inserted tube to assist in draining out excess liquid from the 15-year-old's body. The tube needed to be replaced every 6 months to avoid infections. It was only removed in 2019, with the doctors confirming that the jaundice wouldn’t resurface.
He has a serious post-transplant complication that can only be treated surgically
“Just weeks after the doctor told us the jaundice wouldn’t return, it did! Up until the tube was removed, my child wasn’t allowed back in school and neither could he resume his normal life. However, only days after he resumed his classes, he had uncontrollable fits and suddenly fell unconscious in school. When he woke up, his eyes were yellow again, and suddenly I felt like I was transported back to 2016...” - Vasantha
Now, the teen is grappling with anastomotic biliary stricture (AS), a complication that occurs after a liver transplant procedure, in which the bile duct narrows or leaks at the surgical site. Due to this, Vasantha’s son has developed stones in his liver that are still triggering his seizures. For the past 3 years, he has been managing with medication as the family had no means of affording the surgery he needed. But now, his condition is past the point of no return and that surgery, a procedure called hepaticojejunostomy, is imperative for his survival.
Not in the best of health herself, she’s still striving to give her son a quality life
Vasantha, a daily-wage labourer, has single-handedly strived to give her family the best life she possibly could. Her alcoholic husband left them stranded 3 years ago, when her son’s health took a turn for the worse. Though he had supported them for their child's transplant, he wanted no part in their lives anymore, and refused to pay for their son’s treatment any further.The family have never had much to survive on, because everything that Vasantha earns has gone towards her son’s treatment all these years. Despite not being in the best of health, she has been neglecting herself to focus on her son. She has spent over INR 8 lakh to date, and even borrowed heavily at the time of his transplant procedure. The little support from her husband was a big help at that time, but right now, she has nothing and no one to fall back on.
This mother just wants to see her son healthy again, and doing the things all other children his age do. She is requesting your kindness in this difficult time, and hopes you will help save her son. Click here to donate.
Identity of the child is protected in adherence to government guidelines.
