“This morning he was crying and throwing a tantrum. He wants to see his sister. He wanted to know why he is in the hospital for a fever. The last time we were at home. I could not tell him that it is cancer.”
10-year-old Anantha loves three things about his day: going to school, playing cricket and annoying his sister. While he should be doing all that, he is in a hospital bed unable to even sit up straight. Anantha has blood cancer, and he needs aggressive treatment to beat this disease. His father, a police constable, is feeling at a loss unable to protect his own son against this unseen threat.
In a week Anantha went from having a fever to fighting cancer
It began in August when Anantha complained of feeling feverish. He had a slight temperature, so his parents had him stay home for the day and rest. One day turned into 3, and a week. By this time, Srinivas and Anitha (parents), were worried. Anantha had developed physical symptoms. They took him to a local doctor who referred them to a hospital in Bengaluru.“He had a high fever for more than 3 days. That was not normal. Then he began having painful nodes in his neck. It turned into small tumors. The minute our doctor saw this, he said it looks like cancer. I could not process what I had heard. Immediately, we came down to Bengaluru. Here at NH, the tests revealed that my son indeed has blood cancer.”
This disease is aggressive, and we have to act quickly to save his life
It was hard for the family to deal with the diagnosis. Coming from a small village near Chitradurga, Srinivas was prepared for the worst. Cancer was not on his mind. It turned out that Anantha’s cancer is an aggressive form, and they could not wait for long before starting treatment.“It took less than a week for those little tumors to turn up on his neck. We did not know what else was in store, nor did we want to find out. So, I just agreed to start on chemotherapy immediately. He is responding well. The chemo cannot cure him but is preparing him for a surgery. He needs a bone marrow transplant to get rid of the disease. Our luck is beating him down but we are running out of time.”
A father short on time and money is now in need of help
While Anantha is dealing with side-effects of the chemotherapy, Srinivas is toiling to make enough money for the transplant. Since his older daughter, Gowri, is not a match, one of the parents’ will be chosen for a haploidentical bone marrow transplant. This procedure is estimated to cost Rs. 20 lakhs. Srinivas, who makes Rs. 19000/month, has already spent Rs. 6 lakhs on the treatment so far, needs financial assistance especially because Anantha needs the surgery in 2-3 weeks.“Just a few months ago he was playful and energetic. Now he cannot get out of bed. I cannot even recognize him. I am afraid if I cannot come up with this money in 2 weeks, I will lose him.”
How you can help
Anantha does not know what is wrong with him. His parents have told him it is just a fever, and the pain from chemo, as well as cancer, has him feeling terrified. This boy wants to go home to his life as it was, but now his system is vulnerable and only a surgery can help him survive.Your contribution is crucial to helping this little boy making it alive. Help a police constable save his son’s life from the most dangerous disease in the world.
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.
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