“We have been dreaming of having a child for 13 years now. God gave us not one but twin miracles! We could not have been happier. But now we have to watch them fight for their lives instead of bringing them home.”
Sudha and Nandakumar have been married for a long time. For years they tried but could not have children. Finally, the couple learned they were pregnant with twins and thanked their graces for the miracle. Unfortunately, Sudha developed diabetes when she was pregnant which caused her to deliver the babies two months premature. Now the twins are struggling to breathe on their own, and need ventilator support for the next few weeks.
Sudha and her husband married young in 2004. They had both not finished schooling, and were not financially independent. Yet, madly in love, this couple decided to be a happy family. Nandakumar took a job as a carpenter. Things slowly began to take a turn for worse. He fell sick, and has not recovered since. He found it hard to hold a job because of which they to sell a house allocated to them by the government.
Sudha and her husband live in her mother-in-law’s one-bedroom house. Dheivanai (Nandakumar’s mother) has been a pillar of support to the family who works as a maid, and even helped Sudha find a day job so they could sustain a livelihood.
“Sudha has been through a lot of grief over not having children. The previous child was still born, so we were very happy that this pregnancy was going well,” said Dheivanai. She hoped that the children would bring joy to their household and take care of her son even after she was gone. She started saving up money for her grandchildren.
Sudha started having complications bringing a familiar sense of trepidation. She developed diabetes and the doctors recommended that they induce labor. On February 14, Sudha gave birth to twin girls. As they were born premature, they are unable to breathe on their own outside the womb and need supportive care
The cost of keeping each baby alive is estimated at Rs 4 lakhs because as they need ICU support for the next few weeks of their lives. The small savings of the family have been exhausted and they are faced with a very painful situation they had never expected – trying to save two newborns with no money.
Before childbirth, Sudha and Dheivanai worked together and earned Rs 5,000 per month. Sometimes, Nandakumar picks up odd jobs and earns a bit more. The family has no savings and they need help saving their two innocent babies.
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.
