Tiruchi
A young girl diagnosed with thalassemia has garnered a large fan following on YouTube by sharing her experience with regard to the illness, treatment and also, by doing some fun activities in and around Tiruchi. The idea to create video blogs came to her as she was recuperating from the illness and spending time watching videos.
T. Parameshwari, now 21 years old, was diagnosed with thalassemia major as a child. While the illness was prevalent in her family, lack of awareness caused the death of her oldest brother. “When I fell sick often, my parents took me to a doctor who diagnosed me. My dad’s brother too had died of it,” Ms. Parameshwari said. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterised by less oxygen-carrying protein (haemoglobin) and fewer red blood cells in the body than normal, causing slow growth, iron overload and heart problems.
When Parameshwari completed class 9, she fell ill. “I had to drop out of school and take treatment, including blood transfusion once every fortnight. While sitting idle at home I began to watch a channel on YouTube- ‘Amy's Life’. Amy suffers from a chronic illness and documents her life despite it. Watching her, I decided to do the same,” she said.
Going by the name ‘Paramu thals’, Ms.Parameshwari began to document her visit to the doctor and blood transfusions required for her treatment on YouTube since January 2019. “There is not enough awareness of my condition. How one is diagnosed with it and what treatment is available. I do not want to give advice but I want people to learn from my experiences and by watching me,” she said.
While documenting her illness, Ms. Parameshwari had visited a newly opened supermarket in the city and vlogged it. “It was an instant hit! People watching the videos began to request reviews of other such shops, where to buy dresses, nightwear and sarees. It was then that I began making review videos,” she said.
Ms. Parameshwari takes the help of her older sister and three younger siblings who act as cameramen to shoot her videos. “My family is very supportive and allow me to do what I love. I have begun earning some money from it, but I end up spending it to make more videos,” Paramu said. “My favourite part is when people recognise my parents on the street as Paramu’s mother and father, they get overjoyed,” she added.
Her channel now has 27,500 subscribers while some of her popular videos garner as many as 35,000 to 50,000 views. “There are not enough people making videos on shops, food and entertainment in Tiruchi. I would like to scale up my content and make videos from other States, even other countries, but I would like to take it one day at a time,” she said, smiling.