India comes together to #SavePriyanshu

Dubai: India’s netizens are doing everything possible to save the four-year-old son of a daily wage earner from Madhya Pradesh.

Priyanshu, suffers from a congenital heart defect and with each passing day the battle becomes harder to win.

Diagnosed a few years’ ago, his father Sagar’s funds were quickly depleted in the treatment and many hospitals in India turned down the case because of its complexity and expense.

The boy has required hospitalisation for the larger part of his life because of his serious heart health issues.

Desperate for help, Sagar reached out to all avenues possible. A Good Samaritan helped connect him to the Boston Children’s Hospital, which agreed to the treatment. But, there was still a block - the cost of Rs22 million (Dh1.15 million) inclusive of surgery, recuperation, accommodation and airfare.

This was over a year ago.

A page was opened on the fund-raising website Ketto in 2017, to raise the amount required. In one year, the funding page was able to generate Rs6.2 million (approximately Dh325,000). However, this is not enough.

https://twitter.com/crowngaurav/status/917327692977942528

Bollywood actors such as Abhishek Bachchan had supported the case earlier in 2017. So, tweeps have now started tagging celebrities globally, urging them to help Priyanshu.

@iamshilpooh tweeted: “4-year-old Priyanshu can’t have a Merry Christmas like you and me, his heart is giving up. But will you? #SavePriyanshu @BostonChildrens @MichelleObama @BarackObama @ObamaFoundation @OfficialSanta https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/SavePriyanshu”

Priyanshu’s father Sagar continues to do his part to raise funds by working part-time as a delivery agent with a pizza service in the city of Pune, where his family is based.

Some tweeps are now petitioning the new Congress-led government of Madhya Pradesh to step in.

Tweep @crowngaurav posted: “Around 3000 kind people have donated close to Rs 62 Lakh to #SavePriyanshu who cannot be treated in India and still need min Rs1.10 Crore for his life saving surgery. Please donate at http://ket.to/SavePriyanshu and sign petition to request @OfficeOfKNath at http://change.org/SavePriyanshu.”Priyanshu with his father, Sagar.