HOPING for a better future – Story of a HOPE project beneficiary

Nikunj is an 18 year old college student. He lives with his parents and sibling. His father, Kantilal Parmar, is a carpenter in a private furniture shop. His mother, Harsha Patel, is a homemaker and his younger sister, Krupali, is a high school student. His life was going on great until one day, when he was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that may develop in the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, blood or other organs and eventually  forms a tumor.

At the team meeting organized during Nikunj’s 2nd Chemo Cycle in Jan 2012, his father narrated the entire story of how Nikunj and his family came to know about his disease:

In 2011, Nikunj went on a school picnic with his friends. After returning home, his right ear started discharging water. He was taken to the local doctor, who gave him some medicine, which, however, did not give much relief to Nikunj. Even after many days, his cold did not subside and instead a small tumor developed on his neck. After rounds of visits to the doctor, an FNAC and a Biopsy Test were done on 15 Sep 2011. After analyzing the reports, the doctors confirmed that Nikunj was suffering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (A type of Cancer). The father broke the news to family members about Nikunj’s disease, putting everyone is a state of shock. One of Nikunj’s relatives suggested that they consult Dr. Amish Patel at Holy Spirit Hospital. Nikunj was admitted in Holy Spirit Hospital on 5th Jan 2012. Four chemo cycles were suggested for his treatment. However, this treatment was very expensive for Nikunj’s father.

Nikunj and his family were in a state of despair and helplessness. Their son was suffering and they were unable to afford his treatment.

To know what happened next and how they got in touch with Mumbai Smiles, please check out tomorrow’s blog.