A Baby Who Should Only Know Her Parents' Arms

Mahi is just six months old and is the only daughter of Animesh and his wife, a young family from Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. At this age, a baby's world should revolve around simple things: being held by her mother, hearing her father's voice when he returns home, sleeping peacefully and slowly discovering the world around her. But Mahi's parents have been forced to spend these precious months worrying about something no parent should have to face so early in their child's life. Their little daughter has been diagnosed with congenital lipoblastoma, and she is living with considerable pain.

For her mother, watching Mahi suffer has been especially difficult. She can hold her daughter when she cries, try to comfort her and stay beside her through the difficult moments, but she cannot take away the reason her baby is hurting. There is a helplessness that comes with seeing your child in pain and knowing that love alone cannot make the illness disappear. Every time Mahi cries, her mother can only hope that treatment will come soon enough to give her daughter some relief.

Animesh Has Only His Daily Wages to Depend On

Mahi's father, Animesh, works as a labourer. His income comes from the work he is able to find, and whatever he earns goes towards keeping the family running. There is no financial security that allows him to suddenly arrange a large amount of money for an unexpected medical emergency. Until now, his responsibility was simply to earn enough to provide for his family. Today, that responsibility has become much heavier because the life of his six-month-old daughter depends on treatment that is far beyond what his daily earnings can cover.

The family does not have the means to look at a medical bill of this size and simply arrange the money. Mahi's treatment is estimated to cost ₹12.45 lakh, an amount that is almost unimaginable for a family dependent on daily wage work. For Animesh, every day spent trying to earn money is also a day spent worrying about what his daughter is going through at home.

A Mother Watching Her Baby Fight Through Pain

Mahi's mother has no way of explaining to her daughter why she is hurting or when the pain will end. She can only hold her, comfort her and hope that someone will come forward to help them reach the treatment Mahi needs. What makes the situation even harder is that Mahi is too young to understand any of this. She does not know what a diagnosis is, what a hospital is or why her parents are worried. She only knows when she is uncomfortable and when she needs her mother.

For a mother, there is perhaps no greater helplessness than watching her baby suffer while knowing that the biggest obstacle standing between her child and treatment is money. Mahi's mother does not want anything extraordinary for her daughter. She simply wants to see her baby grow up without having to live with this pain.

The Treatment They Cannot Afford Alone

Mahi's diagnosis of congenital lipoblastoma means that she requires medical treatment, and the estimated cost shared by the hospital is ₹12,45,000. For a labourer and his family, arranging this amount is not something that can be achieved through savings or a few extra days of work. Animesh can continue working every day, but his earnings are meant to sustain the family and cannot realistically cover a medical expense running into lakhs.

The family has reached a point where they need support from people outside their home. They have the will to fight for Mahi, but they do not have the financial means to fight this battle alone.

She Is Too Young to Know What She Is Fighting

Mahi has not yet experienced the ordinary joys that childhood is supposed to bring. She has not started school, made her first friends or begun discovering the world beyond her family. At six months, she is only beginning her life, and her parents are already fighting to protect the future they imagined for her.

Animesh wants his daughter to grow up. He wants to see her become independent, go to school, make friends and eventually build a life of her own. Her mother wants to watch her laugh, play and grow without having to associate every cry with fear about her health. These are simple dreams, but for this family, fulfilling them begins with getting Mahi the treatment she needs today.

Mahi Needs More Than Her Parents Can Give Her

Her parents have something that no medical bill can measure: they are not ready to give up on her. Animesh is willing to continue working, and her mother is willing to stay beside her through every difficult moment. But there is a limit to what a family living on a labourer's income can manage when faced with a treatment cost of ₹12.45 lakh.

Mahi is only six months old. She has her whole childhood ahead of her, but first she needs the chance to get through this illness.

A contribution towards her treatment can help her family move closer to that chance. For Animesh and his wife, it could mean something as simple and precious as being able to hold their daughter without wondering whether they will be able to afford the care she needs next.

Mahi cannot ask for help herself. Her parents are asking on her behalf. Please help this little girl get the treatment she needs and give her the chance to grow up, play, and live the childhood she has barely begun.