MILAAP SUCCESS STORY · CANCER TREATMENT
He Gave Up Everything to Care for Her. Now, Her Scans Are Showing Hope.
When my wife Afreen was first diagnosed with cancer, I never imagined it would change our entire family. Today, she is fighting metastatic cancer that has spread to her liver and lungs, while I care for her and our two young children.
₹5L
High-interest loan taken to meet immediate treatment expenses
2 Acres
Of family land Javed considered selling to pay for her treatment
2
Young children now living with their grandparents while their parents focus on treatment
A fever that turned out to be cancer
When my wife Afreen was first diagnosed with cancer, I never imagined that the illness would change our entire family. Today, Afreen is fighting metastatic recto-sigmoid carcinoma, a form of colorectal cancer that has spread to her liver and lungs, while I continue to care for her and our two young children.
Afreen’s illness began with persistent fever and stomach pain. After initially being treated for other possible conditions, further tests eventually revealed the cancer. Since then, she has undergone chemotherapy and surgery, while continuing to struggle with pain, weakness, and the effects of treatment. We have had to make repeated journeys between Bhopal and Mumbai for her care.
“Despite everything, I remain by her side. The support from donors gave us something we could not find within our own circle, a larger community willing to stand beside Afreen when we had nowhere else to turn.”
— Javed, Husband
Giving up work, and losing our family's support
The treatment journey has meant giving up the work that once supported my family. I had worked on farmland and taken up labour work to provide for my wife and children, but once Afreen became seriously ill, I had to stay by her side. Our two young children have had to stay with their grandparents while we focus on Afreen’s treatment.
We also lost the support we expected from our own relatives. As Afreen’s condition became more serious, my relatives pressured my parents and eventually asked me to leave the family home and stay with Afreen’s parents instead. I was left trying to manage my wife’s treatment, our children’s needs, and our growing expenses without a stable income. I once considered selling our family’s two-acre piece of land to pay for her treatment, while we also depended on loans and help from relatives. We took a local high-interest loan of around ₹5 lakh to meet immediate expenses, and Afreen’s family contributed what they could.
How we found Milaap
Milaap became an important source of support when we could no longer manage the costs alone. My cousin learned about Milaap through a colleague and helped create the fundraiser. The campaign allowed people outside our immediate circle to come forward, and even small contributions from many donors became meaningful support for Afreen’s treatment.
“Despite everything, I remain by her side. The support from donors gave us something we could not find within our own circle, a larger community willing to stand beside Afreen when we had nowhere else to turn.”
— Javed, Husband
Where Afreen is today
There was a moment during treatment that gave our family hope. Afreen’s follow-up PET scans showed that the disease was consistently reducing after her chemotherapy doses. Although she experienced weakness throughout the treatment, seeing the treatment work gave us reassurance that we were moving in the right direction.
My biggest concern remains my wife and our two children. I worry about how I will provide for them while continuing to care for Afreen, especially after exhausting our family’s financial resources. What was once a family trying to build a stable life has become a family trying to hold itself together through cancer, treatment expenses, and uncertainty.
Struggling with the cost of treatment for metastatic cancer?
Cancer that has spread to multiple organs often means a longer, more expensive treatment journey, and it can cost a family its income and its support system at the same time. We help families reach a wider circle of support so treatment doesn’t have to stop.
Frequently asked questions
How much does treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer cost in India?
Costs vary depending on the stage, the organs affected, and the combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and follow-up scans required, but treatment for cancer that has spread to multiple organs commonly runs into several lakh rupees over the course of care. Afreen’s family took a ₹5 lakh high-interest loan just to meet immediate expenses.
What does it mean when cancer has spread to the liver and lungs?
This is known as metastatic cancer, where cancer cells have spread from the original site, in this case the recto-sigmoid region, to other organs. It generally requires more extensive and prolonged treatment, and doctors closely monitor progress through follow-up scans like PET scans.
How do follow-up PET scans show whether cancer treatment is working?
PET scans can show whether a tumour or metastatic sites are shrinking, stable, or growing in response to treatment. A consistent reduction, as seen in Afreen’s scans after chemotherapy, is generally a positive sign that the current treatment approach is working.
How do I start a fundraiser for a family member's cancer treatment?
You typically need a diagnosis report and a treatment cost estimate from the hospital, along with identity proof for the patient or the person raising funds on their behalf. 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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