When we asked 9 year old Manoj what his plans are, after he gets better, his answers made our hearts melt – “I really want to go on a Mumbai tour and eat Mumbai ‘hotel food’. I want to become a kabaddi player. And also, I want to go back for maths class”. Simple wants of a sweet little child who’s been fighting an uphill battle against cancer.

“We are farmers”, his mother Savita tells us their story –

“Manoj was so sick and we had no idea what was going on. Our home and farmland are in Beed. We left everything behind and came to this hospital in Mumbai. His condition was so bad that we almost lost all hope. We just couldn’t understand what was going on.”

That’s where the family came under the dedicated care of our nutritionist Sandhya at our partner hospital. “This family has been through so much. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than to know that I’ve helped play a role in changing their fortunes for the better,” Sandhya tells us.

Manoj is under treatment for B-cell ALL. When Sandhya first met him, he had ascites, a condition in which fluid builds up in the abdomen causing pain and making it hard to move around. As the ascites subsided with the help of medications prescribed by the medical team and a low sodium diet prescribed by Sandhya, Manoj started feeling better and his appetite slowly came back. However, ensuring that he fulfilled his daily nutritional requirements was still a challenge.

”In Manoj’s case, he regained his appetite but was unable to eat much due to the severe side effects of cancer therapy, such as persistent vomiting. I had to be careful and creative in chalking out a diet plan for him as at this point he was severely thin. Little by little, his condition steadily improved and his nutritional status has now progressed to Mild Thinness. His strength and energy levels are slowly coming back. He’s curious and inquisitive about everything – I enjoy answering his questions about nutrition”. For Manoj and his family, who live temporarily in a Dharamshala, the comfort of knowing their nutrition is taken care of thanks to your support is a daily dose of hope. In-meals nourish him at the hospital, rations take care of him and his family at their temporary accommodation, and the supplements he receives are a crucial boost of strength. And most importantly, the nutritional sessions feed this family with hope.

“Imagine coming from a village to a city where you can’t understand the language spoken. I realised how difficult it was for them. So I paid extra attention to making sure that things were explained to the family in words they could easily understand. As their comfort with me grew, their anxiety became less. The impact that parents with a positive mindset can have on their child’s recovery is huge. So I used our nutrition counselling sessions to make sure that their hearts were nourished with the right beliefs to stay strong.”

Manoj’s sweet little wishes are very much on our minds and in our hearts today. Thanks to the peace and security that we help give to his family, he’s on a positive road to recovery.

*For privacy reasons, the patient’s name has been changed.