Share
16-year-old Madhu was busy chasing his dreams of becoming a volleyball player. He would wake up early and rush to school at 7 am, just to play volleyball on the court, when his classes only began at 10! But 6 months ago, Madhu collapsed one day, and the poor boy hasn't been able to walk ever since. Aplastic anemia, a deadly disease of the bone marrow, has snatched away from this teenager the joy of playing; the joy of dreaming. A bone-marrow transplant is his only hope now. You can help.
Blood in his stool, vomiting and fever... Madhu didn't understand what was happening
All this started 6 months ago when Madhu noticed blood in his stool. He was weak and tired. He assumed it was because he had played in the sun all day long.“I wasn’t able to play like before. If I tried, I would feel nauseous. Then I would vomit. I had vomited 3 to 4 times, but didn’t tell my parents because they'd worry for nothing. But then one day I collapsed, and a few weeks after that my body turned pale all of a sudden! My eyes, my skin… all pale. Injections, tablets and drops…nothing seemed to work!” – Madhu, patient.
He was diagnosed with a disease of the bone marrow
His condition worsened, and he was rushed to a hospital. Tests revealed there was hardly any blood in his body. Later, he was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia – a disease of the bone marrow.“They told us he wouldn’t make it if he didn’t get an immediate blood transfusion. We didn’t understand what was happening. He was unconscious, I thought he was dead! We hurried to a hospital in Bangalore and got him admitted. While I slept in the ward with him, my husband and sons slept outside the hospital… we had nowhere else to go. We just wanted to save Madhu and take him home!” – Rajeshwari, mother.
A blacksmith, Shiva is the sole breadwinner for his family of five
With an urgent bone-marrow transplant, Madhu has high chances of recovery; else, the disease will prove fatal in no time. The transplant will cost them 15 lakh rupees, but the family is struggling.“I’m a daily-wage labourer. Nowadays there’s hardly any work. I earn only Rs. 5,000 a month. With my income, we are merely surviving. There’s no way we can afford 15 lakh rupees! Please help us save our son! He is a clever boy with so many dreams. Please let him live, to realize them all…” – Shiva Linga Shetty, father.
You can help this boy get back on his feet, and realize his dreams. Click here to contribute.
