Tanush is a 7-year-old who has been diagnosed with bone cancer in his left leg – over the knee. He needs chemotherapy followed by a surgery that will remove the cancer. His mother Geeta has quit her job to take care of Tanush. After her late husband's cancer treatment, she has no savings left for her son's treatment.
The diagnosis that felt like reliving an ordeal of the past
Tanush and Raghavendra lost their father Bharath to colon cancer in 2014. Tanush was only 4-years-old. He had been cancer-free for five years before it relapsed. In a few months, he succumbed to his cancer which had come back much worse than before. Just when the family was beginning to hope for good things again.
Geetha and Tanush at the hospital where he is taking chemotherapyGeetha moved close to her family where her siblings and parents could help her care for her children Raghavendra and Tanush. She got a job and started teaching English in a local engineering college. She sent her children to a good school nearby.
Slowly and carefully, Geetha had started to put her life back together. But in December 2016, Tanush came home complaining of leg pain in his left thigh. The family started their new year with the grim diagnosis that Tanush had osteosarcoma or bone cancer and he needed chemotherapy and surgery to contain the cancer.
Tanush has undergone 2 cycles of chemotherapy and has 4 more left“Tanush complained of leg pain last December. And we thought he had just hit himself and ignored it. When the pain did not subside, that's when we took him to the doctor who did a scan and a biopsy. It was the last thing we expected,” says Geeta.Over Rs.45 lakh was spent on Geetha's husband's treatment
Despite spending all their savings on Bharath's treatment, they couldn't save him.
Now, Geetha has no savings left for Tanush's treatment. After Bharath's illness, their insurance company also cancelled their insurance. At present all the expenses are being borne by Geetha's brother Manohar.
Geetha with her sons Tanush and Raghavendra
“But how much can he help me? We need lakhs of rupees and my brother has his own family and responsibilities,” says Geetha. Sheer will is helping Geetha stay strong. She doesn't use the word 'cancer' in her conversation and she is determined Tanush will get better.
Tanush is starting to miss his father now
“When it happened, he was too young to understand. He was surrounded by uncles, aunts and grandparents giving him their full attention. But these days, he wishes his father were around. He thinks his father would not have let him fall sick,” says Geetha.
Next week, Tanush will celebrate his 8th birthday. Raghavendra is writing his class 10 exams this month. Remaining strong is Geetha's only option. She is taking it one day at a time and doing the best she can for her sons who are her whole life.
You can help this brave, strong mother make sure her son gets the treatment he needs. Contribute now and save Tanush and show Geetha that there is hope even in the bleakest of times.
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