MILAAP SUCCESS STORY · Childhood Cancer
Carried in His Father's Arms for Months, He's Walking Again After Cancer
My son was six years old when an ordinary fever turned out to be cancer. I sold our land, our cattle, and everything we owned, and still carried him from hospital to hospital because he had lost the strength to walk. Today, he walks again on his own.
6 Mos
Spent moving between hospitals in Sitapur and Lakhimpur before a diagnosis
₹20,000
Was all we had left, borrowed from relatives, when we reached Varanasi for treatment
6 Cities
traveled across (Sitapur, Lakhimpur, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Varanasi, Delhi) in search of diagnosis and treatment
An ordinary fever that never went away
Our son is our only child and the centre of our world. Like every little boy his age, he loved going to school, running around with his friends, and playing all day. We never imagined that before he even turned seven, he would lose the strength to walk because of a disease we had never even heard of.
It all started with what seemed like an ordinary fever. At first we thought it was typhoid. But gradually he became weaker, started losing weight, and cried constantly because of the pain. He stopped going to school and stopped playing with his friends. Then there came a time when he couldn’t even walk without support.
We went from one doctor to another in Sitapur and Lakhimpur for nearly six months, but nothing helped. We travelled to Jalandhar looking for work and better treatment, where an ultrasound suggested a tumour. From there we rushed to Lucknow, where doctors confirmed that he had cancer, and we were eventually referred to Varanasi, where his treatment finally began.
“I kept folding my hands and requesting the doctors to please save my child. I told them that even if there were no guarantees, we wanted to keep fighting.”
— Father
Selling everything we owned
Before asking strangers for help, we exhausted everything we had. We sold our farming land. We sold our cattle. We borrowed money from relatives and took loans from villagers. People from our village collected whatever they could to help. By the time we reached Varanasi, we were carrying only ₹20,000, and almost everything we owned had already been sold.
Even after all these efforts, we were still falling short, because cancer treatment is extremely expensive. This is the gap most families facing childhood cancer in rural India fall into, land, cattle, and savings can be sold once, but ongoing chemotherapy and travel for treatment demand money again and again long after everything has already been given up.
How we found Milaap
It was through the doctors that we eventually came to know about Milaap. They treated us the same as every other family, rich or poor, and encouraged us to create a fundraiser because they understood we could no longer manage the expenses on our own. When our son was referred to Delhi after his surgery in Varanasi, doctors there explained that crowdfunding could help families like ours continue treatment when they had exhausted all other options.
Honestly, I don’t know how we would have continued treatment without that support. We had already sold everything and borrowed as much as we possibly could. Seeing complete strangers donate for our son’s treatment reminded us that humanity still exists.
“There were times when we had nothing left except hope. We had sold everything we owned, but we never stopped believing that our son could recover.”
— Father
Where my son is today
Compared to when his treatment first began, he is doing much better. Earlier, he couldn’t even walk and had to be carried everywhere. Today, he is able to walk on his own and even moves around the house a little. Those first few steps felt like a miracle after months of fear and uncertainty.
His treatment is still continuing, and he requires regular follow-up visits to Varanasi. Both my wife and I have returned to work in Jaipur to support his ongoing medical expenses, and whenever he needs treatment, we travel directly to Varanasi for his appointments, determined to complete every stage of his recovery.
Facing your child's cancer treatment with nothing left to sell?
Childhood cancer treatment often stretches across many months, long after land, savings, and personal loans have already been exhausted. We help families reach a wider circle of support so treatment does not have to stop.
Frequently asked questions
How much does childhood cancer treatment cost in India?
Costs vary by cancer type and stage, but treatment involving surgery, chemotherapy, and travel between cities for specialised care commonly runs into several lakh rupees over many months. This family had already spent around ₹70,000 before even reaching Varanasi for definitive treatment.
Why do families travel far from home for childhood cancer treatment?
Specialised pediatric oncology care is often concentrated in a small number of hospitals, so families in smaller towns frequently need to travel to larger cities for diagnosis, surgery, and ongoing treatment, adding travel and accommodation costs on top of medical bills.
Can crowdfunding help once a family has already sold everything they own?
Yes. Crowdfunding is often most valuable exactly at this point, when land, savings, and personal loans have already been used and treatment still needs to continue. It allows a family to reach people well beyond their immediate circle who are willing to help.
How do I start a fundraiser for my child's cancer treatment?
You typically need a diagnosis report and a treatment cost estimate from the hospital, along with identity proof for the parent or guardian raising funds. Our team helps applicants gather and verify these documents before the fundraiser goes live.
Story shared with permission · Written by Milaap
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