Mumbai: After not getting response from PMO, couple raise money for infant’s liver surgery via crowdfunding

Mumbai: Parents of youngest liver transplant patient who did not receive any financial help from the Prime Minister’s office for his surgery, decided to raise money through crowd-funding platform. The parents said they had written a letter to PMO when they got to know that their one-year-old child is suffering from a liver disease,

A 15-year-old child who hails from Gujarat was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease due to a rare congenital condition called ‘Biliary Atresia’, which progressed to advanced liver cirrhosis within months of his birth. The family required around Rs 16 lakh for the transplant.

The parents said despite having a donor, they had to run from pillar to post for the financial restraint. They wrote to the PM office for help but no one came to help us “Even after waiting for a month there was no response from the PMO office for any kind of financial help. Due to which they started crowd-funding campaign that provides financial assistance for the life-saving surgery of Ram,” said Pritesh Mistry, father of the child.

Also read: Mumbai: One-year-old boy undergoes liver transplant

As per the letter which was sent in January of this year, the parents pleaded the PMO for assistance. “Just a few months back, we got to know that our one-year-old child is suffering from a deadly liver disease. He needs liver transplant immediately but we need around Rs 16 lakhs for it. Time is slipping off our hands. Please save my son with financial assistance,” reads the letter.

But after the plea got closed, an NGO called ‘Transplants – Help the Poor’ Foundation stepped in. A combination of charitable donations from the above NGO, some funding arranged by the family and crowd-funding through Ketto.com, contributed the bulk of the transplant costs. Contributions from Tata Foundation Trust and a grant from the Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai CSR unit made up the difference, allowing baby Ram to have his life-saving transplant.