A salary of 15000 decides a 4 year old's survival. Your support can change it.

20 days of every month, you will see Ranjana Kumar in the hallways of BGS Global Hospitals. Hustling across floors to get everything possible his son asks for. His wife cannot leave their 4 year old, Daivik’s side. Closer look at Kumar’s eyes, you know he cannot stand to see his son plugged to needles and drips; so you will find him mostly brisk walking outside the room checking up on his son through the glass hole on the door.

Ranjana Kumar works at TVS showroom in Chamrajnagar, in Mysore. Married in 2011, and father of 3 kids, Kumar’s day would start with dropping Advika (7 year old) and Daivik (4 year old) to school. Daivik, LKG student of  Shri Hari Vidyalaya would be found playing in mud; waiting for Kumar to pick him up for lunch.  “Everyday I would pick him up on my way back home for lunch. Be it rainy or a sunny day, he will always be found here, making something in the mud. His mother would always yell at him for mudding his uniform. But after a point, we gave up and brought him 2 spare sets of uniform. Today, he sits by the window and asks when he can play in the mud next?”, Kumar says,with his eyes welled up, “and I don’t know what to tell him.”

With chemotherapy sessions going on, it becomes extremely important that Daivik is not exposed to any kind of dirt or dust. With his immune systems compromised, the 4 year old needs to stay indoors. “With every chemo, I am seeing my son grow a little more than he should given his age. His tantrums have dropped, does not complain about the needles, he cries occasionally but wipes it off the moment he sees his siblings” 

Daivik had recurring episodes of fever since the beginning of the year. Assuming a routine effect of having eaten excessive icecreams, Kumar would take him to the pediatric doctor in Mysore. But when the fever of 21st January lasted for 7 days, they knew it was more than just a routine fever. Kumar left for Bangalore with his family to give his son the best medical care. After running a few tests at BGS hospital, it was confirmed that Daivik was suffering from B-Cell ALL, an aggressive type of leukemia (blood cancer). 

Since then, Kumar and his family have been travelling Mysore to Bangalore every 10 days for chemotherapy and blood transfusion sessions. “It took good 2 weeks for the fever to subside. They cannot start chemo sessions with a running fever. So we have been able to finish only 2 sessions so far.” 4 year old, Daivik needs a bone marrow transplant to get cancer free. The doctors at BGS Hospital have already started looking for a match. Advika was tested and Kumar is waiting on the reports. Depending on the result, 2 year old, Dev will be tested if need be. 

But this is not the only worry giving Kumar sleepless nights. Earning Rs.15000 a month and living in a rented house near Chamrajnagar, how will he ever be able to arrange 35-40 lakhs for the treatment. “We lead a simple life. The monthly expenses would get squared away within 15000. Rent. School fees. Groceries. It was also taken care off. We could afford occasional ice cream parlour trips and were content with it. Never had I known what a BMT meant. Let alone knowing what it costs. I don't know what to do. I have to save my son.” 

Daivik is just 4 years old and has a whole life ahead of her. He is very close to getting cured and if he undergoes a transplant in coming months, he has a good chance of survival. His resilience through the painful blood transfusions and chemo sessions proof enough that he is a fighter.