Dhrishti- The light at the end of the tunnel

She greeted me with a glint in her eyes and an inquisitive smile as she saw the gift in my hand, wrapped in red glossy paper. She didn’t give the slightest hint of the ordeal she had gone through since birth.

One-and-a-half-year-old Dhrishti is the only daughter of Sunil and Shilpi. Away from his hometown in Bihar and in the city to earn a living, Sushil had a difficult last two years.For him, the birth of Dhrishti was like the light at the end of the tunnel.

After a week of her birth, Sunil noticed that she was facing difficulty in breathing and immediately took her to the doctor. However, the doctors were unable to identify the cause initially and due to poor diagnosis, her illness was prolonged.

As days and weeks went by, the baby’s discomfort increased. She was unable to sleep and was extremely agitated all the time.The chances of her survival seemed slim and their near dear ones had given up too.

Shilpi expressed that she just wanted her daughter’s last few days to be filled with joy.

They say that when the world gives up, hope whispers. When the doctors and their kinship had given up, Sunil didn’t. In the hospital he worked in as part of the restaurant staff, with the little knowledge he had, he consulted few doctors at Artemis and on doing an Echo test, it was confirmed that she had severe pulmonary stenosis i.e. narrowing of the pulmonary valve. The doctors advised ballooning of the pulmonary valves.

With a salary of Rs 9000 per month, affording the surgery for Dhrishti’s congenital heart defect treatment was not feasible for the family. He took some time out as he wanted to try his best to arrange the money and he managed a sum of Rs 25,000 and still needed financial support of Rs 1.25 Lakhs. That is when Artemis connected Sunil to Genesis Foundation and with their financial support, she was successfully operated.

As he opened up to me, his eyes welled up recalling all the instances when his daughter couldn’t sleep at night, his wife’s efforts to comfort their daughter, and the several visits to the doctor, all with no definite solution to her condition.

His daughter has fought a battle like no other, braving a life-threatening illness, at such a tender age.

Today, as he gleefully chases her daughter across the hospital room, he has big dreams for her and he credits all his happiness to the Foundation as they opened doors to their by paying for her congenital heart defect treatment.

He is evermore thankful to Genesis Foundation, as I see utmost gratitude in his eyes for giving his baby another chance at life. He calls Dhrishti the daughter of GF and has decided to volunteer towards the cause.

This is not just the story of a little girl’s fight against a life-threatening illness but a father’s resilience and perseverance to save her little heart and to give her baby a new life.

The Foundation was the ray of hope that came into their lives when all seemed bleak. Experiences like these bring to light a crucial point that everyone has a fair chance at life and no one should be denied the proper care because of lack of financial assistance.

It gives me immense joy that I got a chance to meet Dhrishti and her parents, to hear her story of struggle and triumph.The apple of her father’s eyes and the reason behind her mother’s laughter, Dhrishti has a bright future ahead of her.

– Contributed by Neha Chandra, Account Executive, Genesis BCW