“I can’t be strong just because I’m a father. I start crying every time I see her and it hits me again – that my little girl might just slip away anytime.”
Sunidhi is 5 years old. She argues with me every day about school. In regular homes, a child refuses to go to school and the parent forces them. Here, Sunidhi begs us to send her while I’m keeping her from her friends. You see, Sunidhi has cancer. We are struggling to fund her treatment. Without it, we will lose our youngest daughter.
It was just an itch until they told us it was a cancerous tumor
Everything was fine until Sunidhi came to us in June complaining of itching on her bottom. Shrugging it off as an insect bite or an infection, Manasa and I, just applied a lotion over it and told her it would subside. A dermatologist prescribed Cetaphil. The lotion did not help. During the next two weeks, she had severe pain in her left leg. Pediatricians convinced us it was a developmental issue, but the medicines did not help.
Sunidhi would not sleep because of the pain. Finally, a pediatric rheumatologist ran several tests on her, and confirmed that she had PNET cancer - Primitive neuroectodermal tumor- a rare cancerous tumour.
My daughter has the rarest form of cancer and she is in a lot of pain
PNET is very rare in children and my daughter has been suffering with it. We had to start treatment immediately. She is undergoing the second cycle of chemotherapy. The side effects are taking a toll on her.
She has not eaten in 5 days because anything she ingests is causing her to vomit. She has lost a lot of weight, all her hair too, and she has become quite weak.
She needs 16 cycles of this chemotherapy and a surgery
Between these cycles, Sunidhi also needs a surgery to remove the tumor that is claiming her life. It is the worst situation for a 5-year-old. We keep her isolated most of the time so she does not catch an infection. She is very vulnerable. So, the loneliness gets to her.
She is extremely depressed, frustrated and has changed from the sweet, happy-go-lucky child she used to be.
Without any income, we are struggling to save Sunidhi’s life
Manasa does not work. I had to quit my job to take care of Sunidhi. Without any income, it has been hard to manage expenses, especially when every hospital visit costs us a couple of thousand rupees. I have already spent a few lakhs. Now this treatment will cost Rs. 8.3 lakhs.
I have nothing left right now for even the next round of chemo. My friends have been helping me so far. I am deep in debt, but if it goes any further, I will lose my daughter.
“Why are you not sending me to school? Why can’t I play with my sister? Why are you keeping me away from everyone?” she asks. Well, if she falls sick, I must rush her to the hospital. She will be in a critical condition, and with affordability in question, what if I can’t bring her back home?
How can you help
We need your support to get Sunidhi through this pain. Her entire body hurts. She is feeling terrible inside. I want her to get better and go back to school. I hope you will save my d in need. I will forever be grateful for your support and will not miss an opportunity to help another child when all this ends. Manasa, Nidhi, Sunidhi and I are depending on you for saving us all.
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.
