On most days, the Internet is a swamp of trolls and over-enthusiastic spammers. But every once in a while it proves it has its redeeming qualities. Popular Facebook page, Humans of Bombay, which was inspired by the even more popular international page, Humans of New York, is a veritable goldmine of heartwarming content. Inspirational tales of courage, to adorable love stories, spunky kids to anecdotes of social media coming together for a good cause – the page has something for everyone.
The latest story to make everyone reach for a box of tissues is that of a cancer survivor from Gujarat. Rushi suffers from MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndromes) which results in the bone marrow failing to produce sufficient red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Rushi says:
“The doctors said that I would need a bone marrow transplant which would cost a staggering Rs. 30 lakh —my father agreed to do the transplant as his bone marrow matched mine.
Since I came to Bombay, I spend most of my time alone because I’m highly prone to infections. So I spend most of my time studying, reading about treatment options and watching motivational videos to stay positive.
Motivational videos help me get through chemotherapy sessions and every time I see my father hiding his tears. He never cries in front of me and thinks I don’t know… but I do — I notice how his voice cracks when he’s talking to our relatives, or when he suddenly leaves the room.
To be honest, seeing my father worried is more difficult than braving these chemotherapy cycles. It’s even worse that I can’t do my MBA and give my parents the life they deserve —they even sold the gold they had bought for my wedding!”
Despite eight rounds of chemotherapy which cost Rs 2.5 lakh each, Rushi’s treatment was still far from over when it all came to an abrupt halt because of lack of funds. An additional Rs 26 lakhs was required to get the treatment going again.
It was here, at the appeal from Humans of Bombay that netizens pitched in and within 24 hours, the crowdfunding had ensured that the funds were ready.
They say if you have power, use it for good and HoB seems to have accomplished just that. Using their immense fan base, they just changed a young man and his family’s life around. What an incredibly happy story!
You can read Rushi’s full post here:
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