Netizens Raised Rs 25 Lakh in One Day to Save a Cancer Patient!

The power of good samaritans in the virtual world has reinstated our faith in humanity yet again!

25-year-old Rushi’s story bears witness to this. The Gujarat resident opened his heart to the world by chronicling the trials of his life, after being diagnosed with cancer on Humans of Bombay.

When he stated how his treatment was nowhere close to complete despite having spent over Rs 2.5 lakhs on each of his eight chemotherapy cycles, netizens took it upon themselves to give this young man another chance at life.

Rattled by the fact that his treatment had come to an abrupt halt due to the lack of Rs 25 lakh, netizens, helped raise the full amount, yes Rs 25 lakh in less than 24 hours!

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Read Rushi’s story in his own words here.

“Ever since I was a child, I used to tell my father, ‘I want you to retire at 52, I will take care of everything after that.’ I have no idea where this thought came from or why that’s motivated me my entire life. Maybe because I’ve seen him work so hard every single day- my father goes to different houses to officiate religious ceremonies. My dream has been to see him relax, maybe take road trips with his friends and finally start living for himself.

When I told my dad I wanted to pursue MBA, he smiled and immediately started calculating how much it would cost. There were no discussions about whether it would be affordable for our family or not. Since then, with his salary of just Rs. 15,000, he has managed to collect almost Rs. 13 lakh for my college fees. After getting a decent score on my entrance exam, I was coming to Mumbai for my admission, and that’s when fate changed our path. I’d been feeling weak for about a week in Baroda when I got my blood tests done.

The reports revealed a shocking drop in my blood count — I had a condition called MDS which puts my bone marrow at a high risk.

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!

I’m trying to show him the brighter side — I tell him that it’s good that I’ve received another year to prepare for the entrance exam so I’ll try to get into the IIMs, but it’s tough.

I’ve gone through 8 cycles of chemotherapy — each costing us Rs. 2.5 lakh. That’s more money than we’ve even seen in this lifetime. My treatment is nowhere close to being complete, but I’m still trying to keep my parents happy and positive by telling them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I will get my MBA; I will make sure that the dream I had for my parents — of seeing them relax on a beach, with not a care in the world will come true.”

We wish Rushi all the best for his treatment! And a big thank you to all netizens who joined hands to save the young man!

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