"He is just learning to say 'Amma'. He is learning to crawl. He does not know death is coming for him. He does not know that we do not have anything left to save him. My baby was just 50-days old when we helplessly watched him being wheeled in for a surgery. We thought it would heal his liver. It only bought him a few months. I am afraid I will lose Shanmukha even before he gets to understand life."
The child was operated 50 days after birth
Sravanthi, mother of 9-month-old Shanmukha has only seen her baby experience hospital visits, medical tests, and antibiotics. Shanmukha was diagnosed with complete liver failure at birth. This shattered his family. His 4-year-old brother was eagerly waiting to welcome the little one home. But all the family got to see were pale yellow eyes.
Sravanthi recounts the anxious moments when Shanmukha had to go under the knife on the 19th of July 2017, exactly 50 days after his birth, to have a chance of recovering from the debilitating liver failure. Now, he has been diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a disease that occurs in infants and blocks the flow of bile from the liver to the gallbladder. Not only this, he also suffers from repeated episodes of Cholangitis, which occurs with an increased frequency. This can lead to liver failure, and the doctor told the desperate parents that the only way to treat this is a liver transplant.
All they want is for Shanmukha to be normal like the other children
What was supposed to be a day of joy, turned into despair in no time. Sravanthi and Phaneendra had no time to celebrate the birth of their little bundle of joy.“I want my child to be normal. I want him to experience the joy of playing, running, going to school and coming back home to tell me how the day was. I want him to have a future of happiness. But, what do we do now? Nothing matters more to us than Shanmukha getting rid of white stools, dark urine and yellowed eyes.” says Sravanthi, eyes welling up with tears
Phaneendra and Sravanthi are doing everything in their capacity to save their baby boy, but the cost of his treatment is huge and beyond their means.
They’re neck deep in debt and have no idea how to save their son
“I’ve done all I could. We have spent all our savings, we are in steep debt now. The doctor tells us that there is a fungus-like structure on the liver. He says that a liver transplant in the coming months is the only way we can see our child healthy and happy, but I can’t imagine how to source the 16 Lakh rupees required.” says Phaneendra, 9-month-old Shanmukha’s devastated father.
In the nine months, since the birth of Shanmukha, the family has spent 9 Lakh Rupees on the treatment. Medical tests, antibiotics and hospital admission for weeks at length, the family now requires Rupees 16 Lakh to have any chance of saving their son. They have loaned money from everywhere they could, but now all the wells have dried up.
How you can help
If Shanmukha’s story haunts you, you know how desperately they need your help. Your support can save this 9-month-old baby’s life. Let’s give humanity a chance in the face of crisis.Please help Phaneendra and Sravanthi save their baby boy
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.
Click here to help save little Shanmukha
