Category: Active Patients

Samar Gupta

Age : 7 years

Place : Raibareli, Uttar Pradesh (820 miles from Mumbai)

Samar is a bright child and inquisitive child. He is attentive when it comes to studies and has an aptitude for mathematics. Samar loves to play with remote controlled cars. Samar and his parents moved into Access Life center in March, 2021.

The parents took the child to Satyam Hospital in Raibareli where few blood tests were done done and then the child was referred to the Kamala Nehru Hospital in Allahabad. Here the child underwent blood tests, X-ray, CT Scan, and USG and was diagnosed with blood cancer. The family then came to Mumbai for treatment. Samar had completed 4 cycles of chemo at the Sion Hospital.

Challenges

The family had to undergo different diagnoses initially. This was not cheap, especially when the family faces financial challenges.

Ahil Pathan

Age : 5 years

Place : Naigaon-Khairgaon, Maharashtra (350 miles from Mumbai)

Ahil is a shy kid and is quite dependant on his mother. His parents want him to be educated in his mother tongue, but he is not too exposed to basic academic concepts. He enjoys watching cartoons and is trying to make some friends. The family has been staying at the Access Life center from June, 2021.

Challenges

The family already has financial troubles due to low income. The family faces a lot of financial difficulties. The villagers helped the family with some amount and they were able to manage to hitch a ride on someone’s car to Mumbai. After reaching Mumbai they struggled for shelter. Even though they have relatives in mumbai, none of them were in a position to put them up. The family put up at the hospital for the first few days before learning about Access Life. Ahil has two more sisters who are currently staying with Grandparents and misses their parents.

Krishna Jadhav

Age : 2 years

Place : Gevrai, Maharashtra (220 miles from Mumbai)

Krishna is a child with a pleasant disposition. He is unable to walk and cannot participate in most activities, but derives a lot of joy form watching others play. He has been living at the Access Life center with his parents from April 2021.

Challenges

Krishna’s family has been facing financial difficulties from the start. Initially. friends and family helped them out with some money. However, those funds are drying up and the family is facing monetary challenges again. The family does not have any relatives in Mumbai, and put up at the hospital for the first 15 days. The parents also feel they’ve been dealt a very tough hand. They believe it is the child’s age to play and have a good time. It is difficult for them to come to term with the fact that such a disease exists and it requires such difficult treatment at such a young age.

Abuzar Shaikh

Age : 7 years

Place : Beed, Maharashtra (221 miles from Mumbai)

Abuzar is a very active child and is keen on learning. Has fair knowledge about academics. He has studied upto Grade 1. Even though his knowledge is not at par with grade 1, he has a fair knowledge about academics. He is attentive and asks questions when in doubt. He is a shy child and prefers staying indoors and playing with the gifts he receives.

The child was admitted in Wadia Hospital and was in ICU for nearly 18 days and on a ventilator for 4 days. He developed multiple complications along with pneumonia and the doctors had very little hope of him making it. At this stage the parents were totally devastated emotionally. However, things finally took a turn for the better and now the child is recovering well.

Challenges

The family was not aware of childhood cancer, nor had they heard about this disease in their family. This caused a lot of emotional and mental stress. The family lost all hope right at the outset. Later, due to the doctor’s assurance, they became more positive.
The initial check-ups and treatment cost the family a lot of money. The social work money took a while to get dispatched and this created substantial financial strain. However, the family got through with help from a few friends and family. And while they do have some family in Mumbai. none of their relatives are well off and was not in a position to host them. So lodging too became a major problem once the family came to Mumbai.

Yasharaj Kumar

Age : 3 years

Place : Patna, Bihar (1030 miles from Mumbai)

Yashraj is a jovial child. He has been staying at Access Life center along with his family from January, 2021.