The Only Difference Between 1-year-old Siddhi And Her Twin | Milaap
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The Only Difference Between 1-year-old Siddhi And Her Twin Sister Is A 1 Kilo Tumor In Her Liver

“The doctor said that if we decided to treat her, she’d have only 20% chances of getting out of this. It was devastating to hear that this disease has a cure, but it could even kill my baby girl. We were not prepared to lose her, so we decided to fight.”
Siddhi recently turned 1 year old. Every day goes in trying to get her to say ‘Mamma’ and ‘Dada’. Navin and Akanksha challenge each other, and wager on what her first word would be. These are the only happy moments in their lives these days, at least, ever since Siddhi was diagnosed with cancer and given just 20% chance of survival.

This baby girl is a twin but something grave differentiates her from her sister

For Navin and Akanksha, this pregnancy was extremely exciting. ‘We always wanted a child. We were happy to get pregnant. I began showing very early. It was not quite normal, but I thought our baby was growing fast. When I went in for the scan, we found out that we were having twins! I secretly wished to have twins and now my wish was coming true.”
The pregnancy was smooth, and the parents squealed when twin girls were born. Riddhi and Siddhi completed the family. Nobody could tell them apart until they were 6 months old, and Siddhi’s abdomen began swelling.

The tumor growing in Siddhi’s liver was larger than most of her organs

“I instantly knew something was wrong. Navin and I took her to several hospitals. Even after so many tests and scans, we did not find an answer. Finally, we had to go from Chhattisgarh to had hospital in Vellore. We waited hours for our turn determined to find out what was causing this problem. A consult and tests later, we heard that Siddhi has a rare form of cancer in her liver. In fact, there was a tumor that was growing at a rapid rate.”
She was not even a year old, and by the time, the tumor was weighing 1 kilo. Siddhi’s tumor was bigger than her tiny tummy. Owing to the stress on the liver, she had stopped eating, vomiting, and grew very weak

It seemed like they were on a road to recovery until they got bounced from hospital to hospital

The parents knew they were running out of time. They began getting more opinions, hoping at least one hospital would care to save their little girl. They had to leave Riddhi behind at home, and travel across India searching for a cure. In August, months after they discovered the bulge in her belly, Siddhi’s condition deteriorated.


“She was just skin and bones, except for her stomach. It seemed like the tumor was sucking the life out of her. Doctors at a hospital in Hyderabad suggested chemotherapy to start with. It was to give us time to think of other strategies and help her symptoms. We had to wait for 25 days as there was no slot. Every day, we were just praying she would cling on to life until we could save her.”

Siddhi’s condition continued to deteriorate as doctors refused to treat her

Siddhi had 6 cycles of chemotherapy after which she was referred to a doctor in Ahmedabad. There, she was required to go through 4 more cycles of chemotherapy after which the doctor promised a surgery that would cure her. After chemo, the doctor refused to perform the surgery as it was too risky.
 
“We were sent to Mumbai, and from there Chennai. 5 cities to find someone who said she could be saved. Now, Ridhi has gone through 10 cycles of chemo and 6 painful surgeries. They could only remove 70% of her liver and the tumor and that weighed over 1kilo. She needs more chemotherapy to be out of danger.”

The family needs your support to save their baby girl

Siddhi is still fighting to recover. The family has not been home since August 2017. The twins have been apart for most of this time. Now, people can tell the difference between Siddhi who weighs just 5 kilos, and Riddhi who weighs over 10 kilos.

Akanksha and Navin have spent over Rs. 24 lakhs on medical expenses. Now, they have exhausted all options. The next 6 months decide whether Siddhi gets to live or not. It would cost Rs. 5 lakhs and this time, the parents have nothing.

Your contribution can end this long journey of pain for Siddhi and give her a chance at normal life.

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.
Click here to save 1-year-old baby Siddhi