It had started with frequent fevers. The family, who live in a small village in Maharashtra, took Rizwan to a hospital in the state, hoping that treatment would help him recover. He was given injections, but instead of getting better, his face began to swell. His condition continued to worsen.

Then, his platelet count fell to just 10,000/µL.

Further tests finally revealed the reason behind his deteriorating health: Rizwan had aplastic anemia, a serious condition in which the bone marrow does not produce enough blood cells.

Since then, his childhood has been replaced by hospital visits, blood tests and transfusions.

Today, Rizwan is in Bengaluru with his mother and family, where he is undergoing treatment. But even there, the battle remains difficult. His platelet counts keep dropping, and he often needs platelet transfusions almost every alternate day.

“He keeps losing blood in his stools,” his mother says.

For a mother, watching her child lose blood again and again is terrifying. Every drop represents another reason to rush to the hospital, another transfusion to arrange and another expense the family must somehow find the money for.

Doctors have told the family that Rizwan’s treatment could cost up to Rs 40 lakh.

For a family from a small village, this is an unimaginable amount.

Before Rizwan fell ill, his father worked at a chicken shop, earning around Rs 500 a day. That income helped the family manage their everyday needs. But with Rizwan’s illness, their priorities have changed completely. Travelling for treatment, hospital expenses, medicines, tests and repeated transfusions have placed an enormous financial burden on them.

The family has already taken loans and used almost all their savings to keep Rizwan’s treatment going.

Yet his treatment cannot simply stop because the money is running out.

His mother is now asking for help from strangers because she has exhausted the options available to her family. The road ahead is long and expensive, but timely treatment could give Rizwan a chance to recover and return home.

Your support can help his family pay for his ongoing treatment, transfusions, medicines and hospital care.

For Rizwan, every contribution can mean one more transfusion, one more day of treatment and, most importantly, one more step towards the childhood he deserves.