Had a great Deepavali? Make it special by helping this 6-yr-old out of his dreadful disease

Santosh Aade, a farmer from Nanded in Maharashtra, does not make more than Rs. 150 on an average day. But for the past 4 months, he hasn’t even been able to earn that. He is now 500 kilometers away from home, at a hospital in Mumbai.

On Deepavali day, as the country woke up to lights, sweets and fireworks, Santosh was at his sick son Satyam’s bedside, hoping that on Deepavali day next year, his son will be well and alive. And there is only one way his son can survive the dreadful disease he suffers from – he needs a bone marrow transplant within the next 10 days, and that will cost at least Rs. 15 lakhs.

Six-year-old Satyam suffers from Aplastic Anaemia – a rare disease because of which his bone marrow is damaged. He was diagnosed about 4 months ago, just 8 days into his Class 1. Initially, Satyam’s nails and eyes turned pale and his fever refused to subside. Santosh took him to a doctor, which was only the first consultation in their long journey across 8 hospitals in Maharashtra, from Nanded to Aurangabad to Mumbai. “I only have Rs. 100 in my pocket right now,” Santosh says in a quivering voice, “And that’s what is left of the Rs. 1000 that I borrowed from someone just a week back.”

You can help Santosh save his son – click here to donate.

Santosh has spent over Rs. 1.5 lakh for his son’s health already, he says. “I had to ask my mother and wife to give me all their jewellery except their mangalsutra - it was one of the most difficult moments of my life,” he says, breaking down.

Since the family came to Mumbai, they been taking painful tests to monitor Satyam’s blood count – and they have vowed to fight. “So far, I’ve spent over Rs. 70,000 on just getting these tests done. In the initial weeks, when the costs were going way out of our hands, I decided to drop the treatment and take him back to the village leaving everything up to the local doctors there and above all, God. But I couldn’t sleep on the night I decided that. What’s the point of living if I can’t fight to save my own son’s life?” he asks.

However, it seems like Santosh is losing hope. He says, “I’m scared to death to admit it, I think I will fail to save my son’s life.”

You can give some strength to Santosh, donate towards the surgery here.

This isn’t the first time the family is fighting the odds. Earlier, they did not even have a donor. But recently, they got his 3-year-old son to Mumbai to test if he can become the donor. “And with God’s grace, we found out that he can. This has been the only good news in this phase of despair we’re trying to brave. This is his only shot at surviving this disease and I don’t want to lose it, I’ll never be able to live with myself,” Santosh says.

“All that Satyam asks is, ‘When will my disease go away?’”, says Santosh. “The only time I see a glimpse of the older him is when ‘Motu Patlu’ plays on the hospital television or when we get him his favourite fruit chiku. As much as I love to see my son cheered up, I cannot afford to buy these. When the doctors say I have to make sure his meals are healthy, I tear up. How do I tell him that I don’t have the money to even provide a basic meal?”

No one should be left to suffer like this. Show some kindness and empathy as you celebrate Deepavali, save Satyam’s life by donating here.

This campaign is hosted by The News Minute in association with Ketto.