Help this 3 year old baby girl fight a rare blood disorder

Arisha was just 2-months old when she had a horrible fever. No amount of rest or medicine would help in bringing the fever down. Medical tests brought depressing news to her parents that their baby girl had a hole in her heart. What should have been a very happy phase for these parents raising their bright-eyed daughter turned into a bigger nightmare when a Bone Marrow Test revealed that their poor baby was also ailing from a rare-blood disorder called as Red Cell Aplasia.

Just A Few Months Old And A Rare Disease

The poor baby has Red Cell Aplasia- a rare condition in which the bone marrow stops producing red blood cells. This lack of blood can even lead to heart failure. Her hemoglobin level was at 5 and so she started undergoing blood transfusions every month. In the meantime, her parents desperately began searching for a way to stop their daughter's suffering. She needed a heart surgery as well as treatment for her blood-disorder. "We searched every nook and corner of the city for hospitals, but everyone refused to treat our baby because she was suffering from two diseases", says her mother.

Heart Surgery, Repeated Blood Transfusions And Further Treatment

After searching for treatment at a lot of places, their baby was eight months old in 2014 when she had a heart surgery at Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore under the care of Dr. Devi Shetty. She then had a bone marrow harvest surgery under Dr. Sunil Bhat, a hematologist as a part of her long process to be cured of her blood disorder.

She still needs a Bone Marrow Transplant to live a life free from blood transfusions as it is now damaging her internal organs. With no red blood cells being produced, she is forced to have repeated blood transfusions which have increased the iron level in her body to an alarming rate causing organ damage. It will be dangerous to her life if the blood transfusions continue.

The Parents' Struggle To Save Their Only Daughter

The cost for a Bone Marrow Transplant is around Rs 20-30 Lakhs depending on the donor. Her parents wrote a letter to the ministry for help but have not received any response. Her mother is a housewife and her father is employed at a small shop that sells automobile spare parts.

"My baby is 3 years old now and is still waiting to complete her treatment. It has been 11 months since the harvest surgery and I'm trying everything possible to save money for my little one's treatment," says her father.

The transplant can only be scheduled once the family is able to raise even a little part of the money. But, the most difficult thing of all for the parents is to watch their daughter struggle with bad health and the danger of organ failure due to repeated blood transfusions. They have made the difficult choice of making sure that their baby has some happy memories of fun and games and have let her join a playschool that gives her a break from her regular visits to the hospital.

She is a Bright and Innocent Child

She is a very bright three-year old who can answer the question, "Who is the Prime Minister of India." By three, she is now able to express how much she dislikes going to the hospital. When everything fails, and tears fill her mother's eyes, Arisha is the one who wipes her tears and says, "Mumma, don't cry. I will go to the hospital soon, become healthy and grow as tall as you."  Still, scared thinking about going to the hospital for another blood transfusion, she asks for her favourite food dishes to have after going to the hospital and getting better. How can anyone refuse this innocent kid?

How can you help this poor baby?

Click here to help save her.