Thiruvananthapuram: As many businesses remained closed last year due to the deadly pandemic, many people lost their jobs in addition to losing their loved ones to the virus. Needless to say, the pandemic has taken a tremendous toll on people’s financial health. One of them is 52-year-old Ronald, who is a street singer in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram and his heartbreaking story will move you to tears. With no other avenues of income for himself and his ailing nephew, he has now decided to sell his kidney/liver. Notably, he has put up an advertisement on his two-wheeler putting his organs for sale.

Speaking to IANS, Ronald said he is presently living out of his scooter which has been converted into his makeshift hoome. To compound his already sad tale, he is also paralysed hip-down and has a problem using one of his hands.

“This vehicle is my home as well, as I have no home to go and hence sleep on it also. Before the pandemic, I used to make about Rs 700 by singing. But things changed for the worse after Covid struck, I have no income at all,” said Ronald.

He hails from a coastal village and five years back his wife passed away. “My daughter went with a Tamil person and my only son is in jail. My brother’s son is in urgent need for renal transplant and since mine is not compatible, I have decided to sell my kidney/liver in exchange.

“I have been making rounds of hospitals here, but have not been able to locate any agent. So I decided to advertise it on my vehicle,” added Ronald.

He said hunger is his biggest problem and during the lockdown period he had to wait near a construction site and after the workers used to throw away their packets after eating, he would eat the leftover from those packets, without anyone noticing.

“With the money I will raise by selling my kidney/liver, I want to move into a small home and also see how I can get my son out from the jail besides helping my nephew as well,” added Ronald. He was able to buy a mobile phone after he got some money from a wellwisher who heard his tale.

“Without a mobile, nothing is possible and hence I paid Rs 1,300 for a mobile phone after a person gave Rs 2,000,” said Ronald and is now waiting for a ‘buyer’, so his life can move on.

(With IANS inputs)