Urgent Needs of Funds for Rare Cancer Treatment.

Ever since I was a child, I used to tell my father, “I want you to retire at 52, I will take care of everything after that.” I have no idea where this thought came from or what’s been motivating me to chase it so bad, can’t really place a finger on it. Maybe because I’ve seen him work so hard all his life - my dad goes to different houses to officiate religious ceremonies. I just want him to relax, maybe take road trips with his friends and finally start living for himself.

When I told my dad I want to pursue MBA, he smiled and immediately started calculating how much I would need. There was absolutely no discussions about whether it would be affordable for our family or not. Since I told him, with his salary of just Rs. 15,000, he has managed to collect almost Rs. 13 lakh for my college fees. After getting a decent score in my entrance exam, I was coming to Mumbai for my admission at K.J.Somaiya College. And that’s when fate changed our path completely. In place of college fees and syllabus, my father and I are now dealing with medical bills and test results. 

I had been feeling weak in Baroda, when it persisted for a week I got my blood tests done. The reports revealed a shocking drop in my blood count. On a family doctor’s instructions, my dad took me to the hospital. After 3 days, the doctors explained that I had a condition called MDS which puts my bone marrow at a high risk. Turns out the DNA that’s responsible to generate blood in my body is damaged completely and this condition being pretty rare is seen in one among million people in the world.  

The doctors said that I would need a bone marrow transplant that costs a staggering Rs. 30 lakh and in the process if I catch an infection, I would require an additional amount of Rs. 10 lakh. That was not the only challenge - I wasn’t finding donors for the transplant, not in my family, not outside of it. My father, like always, has come to my rescue again. His bone marrow comes closest to a decent match. So I’ll be getting a half-bone-marrow transplantation.  

Since I came to Mumbai, I spend most of my time alone because I’m highly prone to infections. So I spend most of time on my mobile. My searches are filled with two things - symptoms and treatment options of this condition and motivational videos to stay positive. Motivational videos help me get through chemotherapy sessions and every time I see my father hiding his tears. He never cries in front of me and he thinks I don’t know but I do - I notice how his voice cracks when he’s describing my condition to our relatives, or when he suddenly leaves the room. 

We’re from Gujarat - my father doesn’t speak Hindi properly but he’s here managing everything by himself because I’m not allowed to get out of my room. My father knows the disease in and out - he can actually explain what’s biologically wrong with my body - he keeps asking me questions and I let him know everything that Google and the doctors explain. He has a WhatsApp group with his friends who perform ceremonies like him. All of them understand how much financial support he needs and take him along so he gets more money to continue my treatment.  

Seeing my father worried is more difficult than braving these chemotherapy cycles to be honest. He also feels very upset about me not being able to study. He’s spent all the money that he saved for my education on my treatment. My parents had even saved some gold for my wedding. But he had to sell it all. I often tell him that it’s good that I’ve received another year to prepare for the entrance exam so I’ll try to get into the IIMs. I also feel bad because I’ll have to now delay my aim by 2 more years, my father may have to work for 2 more years before he retires. 

I’ve been given 8 cycles of chemotherapy. Each cycle costed my father a staggering Rs. 2.5 lakh. My father has exhausted Rs. 20 lakh on these cycles. And we need a lot more to cure my condition. Please help him out - it’s very difficult to see him troubled. I feel helpless because apart from giving him information about my condition and letting him know that I’m going to give this disease a tough battle, I can’t do much.  

You can help Rushi’s father by making a donation on Ketto.

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