“We have three little children. They do not eat if she is not there, if she does not feed them. How am I going to take care of them if I lose her to cancer?”
26-year-old Meenakshi complained of dizziness and fainted. What they hoped to be a diagnosis of anemia, turned out to be blood cancer. Bone Marrow Transplant is the only treatment that can save Meenakshi’s life right now and she is unable to afford it.
Babu and Meenakshi live in Thiruvannamalai with three of their children aged 6, 4 and 2. Babu works at a flower shop earning Rs. 100-300/day to support his wife, children, and elderly parents. They also own a cow used for a small scale dairy business. They live a very modest life but have all the happiness they need.
Tragedy struck when Meenakshi complained of feeling weak and dizzy one day. She fainted, causing her husband to panic and rush her to the hospital. Upon admission to the local general hospital, she was unresponsive for a few hours. The doctor advised to transfer her to the main GH. Three days later, after several tests at the second hospital, Babu heard from the doctor that his wife had blood cancer.
“We were shell shocked. She was completely normal. No other symptoms. One day this happens and we realized that cancer suddenly and silently began attacking her until it got this worse. They said bone marrow transplant is the only treatment that can save her right now. Her sister was found as a match. Unfortunately for us, this surgery cannot be performed at the GH because they do not have the facilities and we had to move her to Apollo.”
Meenakshi has been under treatment at Apollo. She has been prescribed medication and asked to return after 20 days for an evaluation. She needs the surgery at the earliest, but the family is unable to arrange for funds with such short notice, and under their current financial situation.
“She has come back home now. The doctor said we should take good care and ensure that she does not get any fever or infection. But the minute she comes home she gets cold, cough and fever. We do not know what to do. It is a scary situation. Our children are very young to understand what is going on. Even when we leave them and go, they don’t eat properly because we are not here and they become so weak. I feel like everything is crashing down on us.”
Babu is unable to afford the surgery that can save Meenakshi's life. The cost estimated is Rs. 20 Lakhs, and Babu is out of options to arrange for this kind of money as they live by the day and hardly have any savings.
Your contribution would help three little children from losing their mother and a young woman to live a long life.
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.
