“If only I was with her that day, this would not have happened. I regret every minute leaving her alone like that! Now, she is fighting for her life, in so much pain, completely burnt!”3 days ago, siblings Vaishnavi (5) and her elder brother, Varun (6), went to tuition classes by themselves. Nobody was around, so they began playing under a tree, that was surrounded by lamps. Vaishnavi’s frock caught fire, and before they knew it, the little girl was up in flames. Although the neighbors heard her screams and rushed to put out the fire, Vaishnavi’s body was terribly burnt. She is now fighting for her life and her parents are struggling to save her.
They lost a day because no hospital was ready to treat a burn victim
“I immediately heard about what happened and ran to her tuition. My heart broke when I saw her. I could smell burnt flesh. I just carried her in my arms and rushed her to the hospital. In one day, I took her to over 4 hospitals. Nobody wanted to admit her because they either thought we could not afford her care or that she was too far gone. Finally, we admitted her to Rainbow.”
Vaishnavi has 45% burns. For a child, this is equivalent to 60-70% burns in an adult. She is in unimaginable pain and has been in the PICU from 16th Nov. They are deep burns and she needs a long time to heal. It means prolonged hospital stay, multiple stages of surgery and an estimated Rs. 12-15 lakhs cost of treatment.
They are deep burns and she is in a lot of pain
“As soon as we admitted her, the doctors began working on her. They said, in such a state, she will easily get infections and if that happens they have to cut off that body part. I am scared that the delay in admitting her will cost us even more. I just hope she recovers. They dressed the wounds. Her whole body is bandaged. Her skin is almost completely burnt. She needs so many surgeries to repair this damage. I don’t know if I have the strength to see my daughter go through so much.”
Nobody is coming forward to save this child
Ramesh and Savithri come from a weak economic background. He does odd jobs for Rs. 6000/month, while she is a daily wage laborer hardly making Rs. 100/day. These parents have enough to get by. However, they never thought of encountering such a situation in their lives. Their focus has been on saving Vaishnavi’s life even if it means giving up every little thing they own.
“I have been by her side day and night at the hospital. Savithri is at home with Varun. He watched her burn. He is traumatized. He wants to see her, but it will only scare him. Here, Vaishnavi is in pain. My wife or I cannot take a small burn over the stove. I cannot imagine what my daughter is going through. I need every ounce of hope and help to get her out of this situation.”
How you can help
Ramesh and Savithri are alone in this fight to save Vaishnavi. They did not have any money when they admitted her to Rainbow. Nobody in the family has helped them so far. Although they have pooled in every rupee possible, they are far from the goal required to rehabilitate Vaishnavi.Your contribution can help save this little girl from succumbing to her burns.
Supporting Document
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.Click here to save Vaishnavi
