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Casefile Over the years, CPAA
has assisted many patients. There have been several gratifying successes,
and also a few failures. Come, take a walk through our case file,
and relive the stories with us. |
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29 years old Ramesh was diagnosed
with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
37 year Rajalakshmi, a housewife and mother of two school-going kids was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and underwent preliminary treatment under the care of Dr. Jose Easow at Apollo Specialty Hospital, Chennai, India. When it became evident that chemotherapy would not be able to cure her, the doctor suggested haploidentical transplant in US or Israel. Accordingly, Rajalakshmi was admitted to the NIH/NCI hospital in US in February 2008. CPAA helped the family to raise Rs. 6 lakhs. Unfortunately she passed away in April. Our hearts go out to her family comprising of her husband Balachandran R., her daughter Chethana. B. and son Harikiran B.
His friends published an article regarding him in Indian Express as well as in SAKAL. They also spoke to Radio Mirchi which started announcements after Ganpati. His sister was found to be a suitable match for the bone marrow transplant and donated for him. His operation took place on 24 of November in Ruby Hall Clinic under DR. Vijay Ramanand. He is ok for now and is allowed to meet people but for sometime in a day. CPAA raised approximately Rs. 80,000 for his treatment.
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 Geethalakshmi
(age 33) had been diagnosed with AML (M0) and was under
treatment at CMC Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. Her disease did not
respond to chemotherapy and she was advised to undergo
matched unrelated Bone Marrow Transplant which is not performed in
India. The cost of the treatment was estimated to be around 2 crores.
The family, consisting of her husband, Kathirvelan; father, P. Varadarajan and brother, Murali tried to raise the funds needed. But despite the efforts taken by some of the best doctors and the prayers of numerous people, Geethalakshmi passed away.
CPAA helped to raise Rs. 11,000 for her treatment. We pray that the family finds the strength to bear their loss. |
i
B. 
Being
the only child Aditya had to undergo Matched Unrelated Donor
(MUD) BMT, which could not be done in India. The transplant
was estimated to cost US$150K - 200K (Rs. 70 Lakhs - Rs. 95
Lakhs).
Siddiq
Tanavir Jinabale a 5 year old boy was diagnosed with
Hodgkins Disease in 2003. Initially his symptoms were
thought to be tuberculosis for which he was given treatment
for 2-3 months. The family even tried ayurvedic medicine in
his home town, Miraj, but he did not recover. Almost a year
and a half passed when they finally came to Mumbai and his
treatment started in June 2003. He underwent chemotherapy
and radiation for two years but suffered a relapse. His
family approach CPAA to help them with the treatment and
subsequently we raised Rs. 15,000 for him.
13
year old Mounika Kota is studying in the 8th standard. She
has been undergoing treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia-M4
variety since December 29th, 2004 at Kasturba Hospital,
Karnataka. The doctors have reported that she needs remission
induction therapy followed by maintenance. Presently she
is suffering from febrile neutropenia. The approximate expenditure
is likely to be Rs. 1,50,000. Her father is a daily wage
worker and are unable to support her medical expenses.
9
year old Sanjana was first treated for dengue hemorrhagic fever
in December 2003 at PSG Hospital, Coimbatore. When the condition
recurred almost immediately after discharge, she was admitted to
CMC Vellore where she was diagnosed with ALL in January 2004. She
was under maintainence schedule and seemed to be doing well, but
suffered a relapse in December 2004. She did not have a matched
sibling donor and the doctors performed a Haplo-identical stem-cell
transplant on the 12th of May' 2005. But despite all efforts and
prayers the disease relapsed and she passed away on 17th June, 2005.
Sukriti
Pathak is an 11 year old suffering from Acuta Myeloid Leukemia. She underwent
treatment from September 2003 to May 2004 when she was declared cancer
free. Unfortunately she suffered a recurrence in October 2004. She has
now been advised a bone marrow transplant but she does not have a matched
sibling donor. She will therefore have to undergo the procedure in Singapore
which at $150,000 is the cheaper option compared to $400,000 in the US,
but well beyond the means of her family members.
CPAA helped the family to raise Rs. 6.5 lakhs. We also contacted generous donors at Singapore Airlines who provided the family with two free return tickets for travel to Singapore. We wish Sukriti the very best!
Mr.
Dinesh Bandawane, a 33 year old promising Design Engineer, is suffering from
High Grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (a rare form of blood cancer). Dinesh
is currently undergoing treatment at King Edward Memorial (K.E.M) Hospital,
Pune, India under the care of Dr. Shashikant Apte.
So far, he has undergone 2 cycles of high dose chemotherapy; doctors are planning an Allogentic Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) in July 2004. Before receiving ASCT, Dinesh will also need salvage therapy, costing Rs.5 Lakhs ($11,000). In addition to this the approximate cost of the ASCT is Rs.15 Lakhs ($33,000); thus the total cost of the therapy is Rs.20 Lakhs ($44,000), which is prohibitive for any middle class family in India like the Bandwane's.
CPAA raised Rs. 10,000 for this patient between 25th July and 20th August 2004.
11
year old, J. Parthasarthy, was suffering from Acute lympoblastic leukemia
(ALL). He was undergoing treatment at Apollo Speciality Hospital under
the care of Dr. T. Raja. He had to undergo another year of chemotherapy
which was expected to cost Rs. 400,000. The family had reached the end
of their tether and could not afford to spend any more. At this stage
they appealed to CPAA's website and we placed an appeal for the child
on our website. Rs. 10,000 was raised for his treatment.
Little
Abhi (4Years) was diagnosed with anemia. His parents thought it was due
to his poor eating habits. Even in their wildest dreams, it never occured
to them that he could actually be suffering from the dreaded
leukemia. When they heard the diagnosis from their doctor, it felt as
if their world had come to an end, but the doctor's reassurance brought
them hope. Abhi was diagnosed with Precursor B Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia
and is undergoing treatment at the Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum,
Kerala, India. Chemotherapy was started on 4th April, 2003 and he is responding
well.
His father Ramesh Kumar contacted our website asking for financial aid.
CPAA
helped to raise funds for his treatment through donations received online
and cheque donations received during the period. Abhi is now at home and
doing well. He has started trying to catch up on missed lessons with the
help of his teachers who help him to learn his lessons at home.
He will be admitted to hospital during the third week of November, 2003
for his second maintainence chemotherapy. The treatment will continue
for 2.5 years, but the burden has become a little easier due to the generous
donations of strangers.
On 18th December, 2003, CPAA received this letter from Abhi's father:
Dear Madam, Got your letter,I am very much indebted to you for extending help in my hour of need. I will be praying for all those persons whom i dont know but have come forward to help me, which acted as a breather to me as well as a boost to my morale with the feeling that there is sombody who is thinking of Abhi and such nice persons will surely be praying for him also.
ABHI has completed his second term of theraphy and is doing fine, he has to stabalise his blood count for starting his next course of medicine which we hope will be able to start as early as possible. I hope that you will continue to support me morally through your prayers for abhi and writing to me as and when you get time, all these apart from finance do matter to me a lot.
Now for finances I have to fight alone but Ihope your prayers and with the help of god i will be able to tide over.I will keep writing to you about ABHIS progress .
Yours sincerly, Ramesh Kumar.P.
Very recently we were informed by Abhi's father that he was now leading a very normal life and had successfully finished his first year at school and is now raring to go into the second standard.
Vasanti
was born into a very poor family of pavement dwellers. She was married
at an early age to a much older man who turned out to be an alcoholic.
She bore him three daughters, but when she was diagnosed with cancer,
five years ago, he promptly sent all four back to her brother's hut on
the pavement. She underwent treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital while
working at odd jobs to feed her family. Three years ago she came in contact
with our Rehabilitation Centre where she got a regular job, wages, medical
aid, food grains and education for her children along with emotional support
and encouragement. Her daughters, now 10, 7 and 5 years old go to school.
The silver lining to the dark clouds in her life came when she received
the Madhu Velluri Memorial "Vijeta" (Cancer Survivor) Award
for 2003, along with a cheque for Rs.25,000.
Mr.
S.P. Singh is a 56-year-old chemical engineer. He was diagnosed with Chronic
Myeloid Leukemia in 1999. Since then he has been on Hydrea, but has been
recommended the new drug Glivec by his doctor. The approximate cost of
his treatment is Rs. 12.6 lakhs which was beyond his means. CPAA placed
an appeal for donations for Mr. Singh and attempted to raise funds for
his treatment on our website.
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Bidurin
is an 11 year old patient suffering from Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
since 1999. He underwent preliminary treatment with Glivec, which caused
his condition to improve from Accelerated phase (advancing state) to a
Chronic phase (stable state), but it was not cured.
Bidurin then underwent Bone Marrow Transplant, an expensive procedure costing about Rs 10 lakh, but the disease has only responded partially. He now needs to be given Glivec again at a cost of Rs 1.2 lakh per month.
CPAA has helped Bidurin to meet a substantial part of his expenses.
Abhiram
Jha awarded The Madhu Valluri Memorial Foundation "Cancer Survivor
Vijeta Award"
Abhiram
Jha was only 6 when he was diagnosed with bone cancer-chondrosarcoma of
the ileum. He was brought to Mumbai from Darbhanga district of Bihar for
treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital. He underwent two operations, chemotherapy
and radiation before he was declared cured. To day this 17 year-old uses
calipers and special shoes to enable him to walk the 3 km distance to
school. His is a remarkable story of grit and determination, in the manner
that he bore the entire treatment cheerfully. His fortitude was recognised
on 20th February, 2002 when he was given the Madhu Velluri Memorial Award
which celebrates an inspirational cancer survivor every year. The award
which consists of a cash award of Rs. 25,000, a citation and a trophy,
was instituted in the memory of Madhu Valluri, a brilliant young man who
died of leukemia in 1994. Madhu, one of the first minds to realise the
importance of information technology, was educated at the prestigious
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He wrote articles and columns
for the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Times of India to help popularise
the new field in India. Every year the award is given to a journalist
and a cancer survivor who best encapsulate the life and meaning of Madhu
Valluri. It is indeed a great honour for Abhiram to be so recognised.
We congratulate him and wish him the best in his future endeavours.
Fateema,
a 52 year old breast cancer patient from Tata Memorial Hospital, lives
with her 80 year old husband. They do not have any children.
CPAA assisted Fateema by financing her treatment, and providing
counselling, rations, and ambulance services. A home visit unearthed
Fateema’s talent for tailoring and embroidery, an ability that CPAA
helped her capitalize on by organising a 2-day sale of products at our
Rehabilitation Centre. That sale netted Fateema Rs. 10,000/- and
strengthened her motivation. She’s busy getting together a collection
for the next sale. Since the Banatwallas have no regular source of income,
CPAA helps them with Rs. 1500/- per month as aid for subsistence.
Chamundeshwari,
25 years old, is a survivor of Hodgkins disease. CPAA supported her
treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital, found her accommodation at a Working
Women’s Hostel, gave her employment as an Administrative Assistant,
raised funds to pay her computer course fees, helped her get a transfer to
NIIT’s local branch when she opted to go back home to Raichur after six
months. Chamundeshwari married a classmate from NIIT in September 1999.
Chamundeshwari was blessed with a healthy baby boy in 2001. She writes to us at CPAA with regular updates on how she is doing.
Manoj,
40, contracted cheek cancer caused by constant chewing of gutkha. He was
referred to us post-treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital. CPAA helped raise
funds to pay off his pending medical bills, provided extensive emotional
support (his wife and child had deserted him after the diagnosis), helped
him with basic sustenance requirements, and employed him at our Rehabilitation
Centre in the Marketing Section (since this was the field he had been
working in prior to his illness). Unfortunately, Manoj suffered a recurrence
in 2003 and passed away. CPAA was with him till the end when he was admitted
to the hospice, Shanti Avedana.
Suman,
a 28 year old post graduate in physics from Patna, had Hairy Cell Leukemia.
Via appeals to Charitable Trusts and ads in newspapers and magazines, CPAA succeeded in raising money to the tune of Rs 4 lakhs for his therapy with the imported drug, Inj Deoxy Coformycin (Pentostatin). At various times, when blood transfusions were required, we made arrangements by tapping our database of donors and advertising for donors on cable TV. Since Suman had been working as a sales man in a readymade garment shop in Patna, we encouraged him to get some merchandise to Mumbai, to his joy everything was sold. Finally, we gave him a recommendation letter, which has helped him secure a Government job as a Physics Lecturer in Patna University.
17-year-old
Padmanabhan is the youngest of a big family (5 children) living in a
Dharavi slum. His father had had Hodgkins Disease, undergone treatment at
Tata Memorial Hospital and been cured. In 1996, just 3 years after his
father’s illness, Padmanabhan too contracted recurrent Hodgkins Disease.
We supported his entire treatment regimen at Tata Memorial Hospital since
he could not afford it.
Padmanabhan is a bright young man, and when he expressed a desire to pursue Computer Education, we thought he deserved help and encouragement. We raised funds for his computer course at NIIT. It gives us tremendous satisfaction to be able to say that Padmanabhan is progressing very well - both academically and healthwise.
Like
Jigar Waghela, Urmi is a cute ‘lil moppet (6 years old) with Acute
Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Unlike Jigar, Urmi’s story has a happy
ending – after treatment at TMH (supported in toto by CPAA), she is now
completely cured. We helped her get a role in a TV Serial, ‘Jaane Kahan
Jigar Gaya Ji’, much to her delight.
Jagjit
Kaur, 63, who is a widow from Ahmedabad, first came to CPAA in April 1988
as a case of breast cancer. One of her sons was in Canada and she stayed
with the other son in Ahmedabad. She was operated upon and CPAA reimbursed
all her medical bills and gave her monetary assistance of Rs.1000 per
month. She was doing very well and so, went back to Ahmedabad and was
not in touch with CPAA all these years until her son contacted us again
in February 1993. This time, Jagjit Kaur had Stage II cervical cancer
and was advised 6 courses of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, unfortunately, her
younger son had been involved in a bad truck accident, sustained a serious
head injury and was bed ridden. Jagjit Kaur is a gutsy woman, who has
been earning her living by giving singing lessons. We help out by giving
her monetary assistance of Rs.500 per month, and arranging for an ambulance
when she comes for her quarterly check-up.
Aparna,
52, adopted 3 orphan children 20 yrs ago when their parents were killed in
a bomb blast in Assam. Her doctors sent her to CPAA when she was diagnosed
as having Larynx Cancer. As Aparna does not chew tobacco or have any other
habit of consuming tobacco, she was understandably upset. Through guidance
and counseling we helped her get reconciled to the situation, and accept
the required surgery. We helped her with rations and nutritious food, and
arranged for an artificial voice box at a cost of Rs.12000. CPAA’s
social worker regularly visits her at the Tata Memorial Hospital.
Rajeshwari’s
husband, Gopal, was the patient – he had Blood Cancer. They were put in
touch with CPAA through social workers at Nair Hospital. Gopal was working
as a driver in a private firm, but had to give up his job due to the
sickness. So we offered the then 23 year old Rajeshwari a job in 1987. She
was given nursing training during camps conducted by CPAA. In order to
enable her to work, we even baby-sat her 7-month-old daughter. We also
helped them out with medicines, ration, clothes, and prosthesis. When
Gopal died in December 89, we helped Rajeshwari with funeral expenditures
and supported her emotionally. We got her daughter admission in a convent
school, paying for the child’s tuition fees, and chipped in with
medicines for her daughter when she was found to be suffering from
tuberculosis. Meanwhile, Rajeshwari learnt tailoring at our Rehabilitation
Center, so that she was able to earn her livelihood. When Rajeshwari got
remarried, we helped her with marriage expenses and attended her wedding
to give her moral support. Unfortunately, her second husband also passed
away in 2002. Today Rajeshwari bravely struggles to cope with her double
tragedy while trying to make a happy home for her daughter. Her work at
CPAA making breast prostheses for breast cancer patients helps her to
support herself and her daughter.
Sachin
Patole is a 15-year-old who fought and conquered Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.
After a two-year battle with the disease, Sachin is today totally cured.
Recently he rejoined school and when he asked us to help him with a cycle
to allow him to commute more easily, CPAA enthusiastically went all out
to raise the resources. It was the Lions Club of Cuffe Parade who acted
as fairy godmother by coming forward with a donation of Rs. 3000 which
not only got Sachin his cycle, but left money over to provide for a few
clothes and books. CPAA wishes Sachin the best of luck.
Krisanu Mandal is a nine year old boy, suffering from relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia for which he underwent treatment at Jaslok Hospital under Dr. Boman Dhabhar. The doctors have told his parents that his only chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant. As his marrow does not match that of his only sibling’s, he will require an allogenic bone marrow transplant from a broadly matched unrelated volunteer donor, which is a procedure that is not performed at present in India. His parents managed to contact Prof. H. Grant Prentice, Haemato-Oncologist at the Royal Free Hospital, U.K. who has been able to identify 5 matched donors for Krisanu through the Bone Marrow Registry in UK. They were informed that the procedure would cost Rs 84 lakhs. This is a huge sum, which was not easy for Krisanu’s father, an engineer with Oil and Natural Gas Commission, to find. By his determined efforts he has raised Rs. 60 lakh through donations or loans.
The photograph shows Krisanu in his room at the Royal Free Hospital.
Krisanu flew to London on 9th November, 2001 along with his mother and aunt who is a doctor. CPAA helped in arranging free air tickets courtesy British Airways Donate a Mile scheme and also tried to arrange for their accommodation. CPAA provided assistance in trying to raise the balance funds required through appeals to trusts and through newspaper advertisements, besides providing moral support through counseling and guidance. The family was put in touch with various organisations such as the Bone Marrow Foundation, ISKCON and Bharat Sevashram that could provide some help in a strange land and in very strained circumstances.
Krisanu underwent prelimimary chemotherapy in London but it soon became apparent that his heart was getting affected and so the procedure had to be stopped. He is now back in India recuperating.
On 20th September, 2002, he was one of the 25 children who met Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh as a part of our Rose Day inauguration function.
Sourabh
Ghosh was a student of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi when he was
diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, for which he had been prescribed
Glivec, a new revolutionary drug developed by Novartis. However, the drug
was prohibitively expensive, costing about Rs. 1.25 lakhs per month. His
illness did not bow down this brave young man. His friends, classmates
at IIT and teachers moved heaven and earth to raise these funds for him.
With their help and that of CPAA Sourabh got Glivec sufficient to meet
his needs for 2 months.
CPAA raised Rs. 2 lakhs with the help of generous donations from past IIT Delhi students. Sourabh is now pursuing his higher studies in Switzerland and is getting Glivec through Novartis' GIPAP program which provides free Glivec to deserving needy patients. Recently he helped raise funds for the treatment of another cancer patient through donations made by the Indian community.