You Can Help, Avinash Thapad.

My Uncle (Dad’s older brother) suffered a severe heart stroke, last October and since then has been bed ridden. What’s even more shocking is the fact that he had barely spent four days at home since being discharged from a reputed Mumbai hospital after undergoing a successful Bypass surgery.

I remember having Lunch with him on the very un-forgetful day. Since my family had left for Turkey the same morning, my Aunt had ordered me to have all my meals at their place. In spite of undergoing such traumatic procedure, my Uncle was as chirpy as ever; guess he was just happy to be home. But as they say, you never know what life has in store for you and just like that we were greeted with a shock that changed our lives in many ways, today.

My uncle had a stroke in his sleep, which resulted in a blockage in his brain thereby causing a brain hemorrhage. The heart attack also left him paralyzed from head to toe on the right side. For the next couple of days he was as good as dead to the world; eyes shut, number of pipes in-n-out of his body, blank expression on his face, a body in vegetative state. And then one fine night, we got a call from the hospital and thankfully they had some good news. He had opened his eyes and was calling out my Aunt’s name. He showed some positive signs in the initial days, though he was in no state to even blurt a sentence, eat on his own or recognize family faces but just the fact that he was still breathing was good enough for us – “Hope” is what we all live on, don’t we?

For the past 8 months, he has been lying in the same hospital, in the same bloody room, with the same doctors and nurses walking in and out, with barely any improvement to his physical and mental state. On our part, all we can do is pray for his betterment and provide him with the best medical treatment available, even if it does not guarantee a miracle.

But what about those in similar situations, who are unable to afford even basic treatment for their loved ones, let alone the best in town. Just imagine watching your own, battling between life and death, squirming in pain and all you do is watch them, helplessly – The thought itself makes you shit in your pants, right? So one can barely comprehend what Avinash Thapad and his family goes thru practically every day.

Avinash Thapad, 11, just stares at the ceiling all day. He can neither move nor speak and responds to almost nothing. It is only when his physiotherapist makes him exercise every morning that his face contorts into a silent scream.

But, Avinash was not always like this. Until January 14 this year, he was a bright young boy who attended the local municipal school. It was when he was returning from school that day that a speeding biker hit him from behind and changed his life forever. Avinash slipped into a coma and was rushed to Cooper hospital, Vile Parle. He spent the next three months in hospital but there has been little change in his condition. “Earlier he didn’t open his eyes at all. Now he opens his eyes but we don’t know if he understands anything as does not react to anything,” Lata, Avinash’s mother, said.

Avinash’s father died eight years ago and his mother works as a maid. His extended family has chipped in but there is very little they can do due to financial constraints. Lata has pawned her jewellery worth Rs 5,000 and sold off some worth Rs 15,000 for Avinash’s treatment.

Had it not been for Dream India, an NGO that works with children in neighbouring Gaondevipada, Avinash would have not survived, his family said. “They are the ones who got a physiotherapist and also pay her for daily exercises. They also give me money for medicines which cost Rs 2,000 per month,” Lata said.

“We are spending around Rs 15,000 every month on his treatment. We don’t know for how long we can sustain it. And from what the doctors say only time will cure him as his brain is severely affected,” Priti Turakhia of Dream India said.

Dream India believes that the only way to help Avinash is if a hospital agrees to keep him for specialised treatment or if a neurosurgeon agrees to examine him on a regular basis at home. “We will also set up an emergency fund for Avinash so that if he gets critical his treatment can be taken care of,” Turakhia said.

What needs to be done here is pretty much self-explanatory. So if you have the time and can afford to offer some kind-off financial assistance to the Thapad family, then please do so at your earliest (Contact: Dream India on 9920092452).

And remember, Avinash needs much more than your prayers.

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