Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Saroja.

I have been remembering Saroja (name changed) frequently since I started to think of patients who I really admired for their attitude and the dignity with which they handled themselves.
I don't really remember how I came in contact with Saroja. I think she came to know that Aadhar was helping some patients with their medicines and met me regarding that.
She was a single mother who had breast cancer. Unfortunately she was one of those patients whose cancer was not responding to any treatment. She already had metastatic disease ( the cancer had spread to other parts of the body). The liver and bones were already involved. She had been a jewellery designer but had to stop working because she couldn't cope with the hospital visits and the work. Saroja had one son who was about 11 or 12 yrs at the time. She was trying to get this child adopted by a good family. And that was the first thing she asked me about. Her parents lived in Delhi but she had left home following disagreement with her father. Her mother was very supportive and was always with her during her chemotherapy.Her husband was nowhere in sight.I had never met anyone like her , who was managing alone even during this difficult time.We had lots of chats and I kept persuading her that the best place for her son would be with his grandparents. She even called up her father and made peace with him.
Saroja asked me if  Aadhar could help her get the supportive care she needed. Since Aadhar is a Child cancer fund, we decided to raise money separately for her. We raised about Rs. 40,000/- and I paid it into her account at the pharmacy of the hospital. After that we did not meet as I was out for about 2 months.
When I returned I visited the hospital again and went to the pharmacy to settle any pending bills. The manager immediately came out and met me. He asked if I had heard about Saroja. He knew about the amount we had deposited there for her medicines. He then told me she had passed away about a fortnight ago. Then he said she had come to the pharmacy a few days before that and had left instructions with him that whatever amount was left out of the Rs. 40.000/- was to be handed over to Aadhar.
I couldn't believe that this brave lady who was going through this major tragedy and the tension about her son had actually remembered to go to the pharmacy and pledge the remaining amount to Aadhar.
I can't explain what emotions went through my mind at that time. I felt totally humbled by the spirit and dignity of this lady. Hats off to you Saroja. Rest in peace.



























Monday, August 8, 2011

Radhika Jaiswal.

Hi writing after a long time. This is about Radhika a little girl 8 yrs of age. She has Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL. She has been battling leukaemia for the last 4yrs. She has been on support of Aadhar since April 2008. Her treatment has been going on in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Unfortunately Radhika is not getting any support from her father.Whatever is being done is by her mother and maternal grandmother. Her treatment regimen has now been changed to Dasatinib.  The cost of this medication for 1 month is Rs. 1.75 Lacs. However if she buys one months medication the company will give for free the next two months dose. But Rs. 1.75 Lacs is a big amount for any average middle class person to raise every three months. In this case the difficulty is compounded by the fact that the treatment has been going on  for the last 4 years. There is a lot of expenditure but no income.  She has been in support of Aadhar since the last 3 years.
Though we can't spend such a large amount of money for one child from our fund, I am posting this in my blog to request for donations for her treatment. Give whatever you can and whatever you want to give. Don't think - what difference can I make? Even if individually we can't do much, surely together we can raise some amount to help out this little girl and her mother. I admire this lady for her grit and patience. Handling an unhappy marriage is bad enough , but on top of that all this! Wherever she feels there is a chance of getting help for her child she goes and requests help. Radhika is one of the sweetest little girls I have seen. Inspite of the prolonged treatment, there is no sign of anger, disappointment or negativity in this child. Please do help in anyway you can and join us in our prayers for this little girl.
All donations can to be sent to AADHAR . A / 361 Meera Bagh, New Delhi- 110087.
Cheques to be made in the name of AADHAR.
In case of any queries please feel free to contact me on this email. aadhar1998@gmail.com.



Friday, April 8, 2011

This post is to acknowledge the advice and know how I received from Dr Prashant Kashyap who actually started the blog for me. I had no idea what a blog was all about.He showed me how to work it and all the photos and the slide show that is already uploaded is all thanks to him.Thanks Prashant.
Along the way so many people have touched my life and Aadhar and helped in bringing us to the place where we stand today.
And any acknowledgement would be totally incomplete without a special thanks to Radhika and Pradeep Agarwal who believed in me and what I wanted to do simply because I voiced my wish to them. If Radhika had not pushed me along probably this would have remained just that....a dream!!
Thank you God for standing by me in the form of my family and friends.. The Aadhar family is growing slowly and steadily as people are joining in. This is going to be a movement through which we stand by each other in times of distress. Not only by those we know and care for but also by those whom we don' t know and have not even met. To be able to lighten someones burden gives unparalleled happiness. Believe me ! The feeling cannot be described. You can sleep soundly feeling that someone somewhere is feeling a little better because of your action.
Thanks also to all the youngsters who have helped me so much and are going to be the future of this whole endeavor.
Long live Aadhar.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Finally FCRA approved.

The good news is that Aadhar has now got FCRA approval. This means we can start accepting donations from abroad directly. So many people staying abroad used to ask if they can donate and I had to tell them it could only be done in Indian rs . Now hopefully we will get more support.
As this financial year ends we found that this year Aadhar has raised and spent Rs 14,92,503/- on child cancer patients. The number is increasing every month and we need as much help as we can get. Aadhar has also got trademark registration for its name and logo now. So we are indeed moving ahead.
Youth against cancer organized a wonderful party for children on treatment. There was a magician and wall painting done by the kids and the Wall Project group. The children enjoyed themselves and the parents also had some relaxation from their tensions.
The photographs will be uploaded soon.