“I knew what cancer was. The gukta packets showed dangerous graphic images. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would happen to my son. He was always a good kid who dreamt of living in a big city,” said Sanchayan’s father Shyamul Ghosh as his eyes welled up as he looked at his son hooked to drips on a hospital bed.
Shyamul owns a paan shop in a small village in Midnapore, West Bengal. The income of Rs. 7000 helped educate his two kids to school and left enough to feed four mouths. It’s been over eight months since the shop was last open for business, owing to the aggressive blood cancer, T-ALL plaguing Sanchayan.
From cold to cancer, a diagnosis that bought him time
Nobody can prepare a father for the news that his son is ill. Recalling the day that changed their lives, Shyamul said, “We went in for a checkup one day for cold & cough relief. The doctor looked at Sanchayan and asked me if he always looked so tired.I assumed it was the aftereffect of playing around all day. The doctor, however, insisted that we run some tests.” Sanchayan was diagnosed with T-ALL, and the doctor explained their options, while he assured Shyamul that there was still a way they could save his little boy.
Always hoping this is the last time in the hospital waiting room
Shyamul moved to Mumbai for the best treatment available at Tata Memorial Hospital considering his affordability. He enrolled for all the benefit schemes available at the hospital in hopes of getting some financial help.2 years went by with multiple chemotherapy sessions, and Sanchayan still did not show signs of remission. They were advised to opt for a bone marrow transplant, which costs Rs. 15 lakhs. Given Shyamul’s financial condition, the hospital granted Rs. 3 lakhs for the surgery. Shyamul mortgaged his shop and terminated the only LIC policy he owned to cover additional Rs. 2 lakhs. With no other asset or income, he is struggling to come up with the remaining Rs. 10 lakhs necessary for the surgery.
“I had to mortgage my shop to arrange funds to cover the treatment and the living expenses here. The piling interest of 8 months and counting will leave me with no shop. Even though I have nothing left, I have to save my son. I want to take him home. See him continue school. And be like other kids. Normal and pain-free.”
How can you help?
BMT is the only shot Sanchayan has at a healthy long life. Shyamul is doing all that he can to save his son and get him out of the hospital, The interest on the mortgage, living expenses in Mumbai, and other treatment costs are burning through his savings. The family now lives at an ashram in Navi Mumbai, praying for a way to fund this surgery.Your contribution can help this loving father hear the news that has been evading him for two years: Sanchayan is cured of cancer.
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 champion or the medical team.
