If there’s one word that comes to our mind when we think about beautiful Krishna Nandhi, it’s ‘rainbow’. With a big bright smile and positivity beaming wherever she goes, our spirits have been touched by her determination to keep her life filled with colours. All of 12 years old, nothing means more to her than her love for art and dancing. She’s rarely seen without her colour pencils by her side, even when her fingers were too weak to pick them up.

Osteosarcoma coupled with undernutrition made her the weakest she has ever been – too weak to walk, too weak to speak. “Will I be able to paint and dance again when I finish taking my treatment?”, she asked Trinawali (Cuddles Nutritionist). “I will do my best to get you back on your feet”, Trinawali assured her. And did just that, with your support of course.

At our partner hospital, Trinawali worked closely with every doctor and nurse in charge of Krishna Nandi’s treatment, every step of the way. On one hand, this pre-teen was a picky eater. On the other hand, she had a surprisingly inherent understanding of the tremendous importance of nutrition, and like a typical Gen Alpha was curious and determined to make the best out of her situation. She never missed a counselling session. She was regular about her follow-ups. As the nutrition made her stronger, she kept her entire family on track about her diet plan and made sure she utilised the supplements provided to her well. “She was the perfect patient”, Trinawali is happy to tell us.

“The key with her was to balance her cravings with her clinical requirements. Empathising with your patient is the only way to do this successfully. Our easy rapport meant that she didn’t just come to me for her diet review, but saw me as a sounding board for everything she was feeling. The openness in our relationship as patient and nutritionist meant that we could trust each other and work well together towards her cure.”

Trinawali started working with her on her nutrition from August 2023. Cut to October 2024 and this warrior girl has completed her treatment with flying colours, all set to get back to all the things she loves. For her father who makes his living working at a local restaurant, having his family’s nutritional needs supported has been a god-send. Thanks to your support, this family was the beneficiary of Rations, Supplements, Hot meals and In-meals. With her nutritionist’s constant intervention, her nutrition status improved from mild thinness to well nourished. The smile on her face says it all.

Runu, Krishna Nandi’s mother, counts every single blessing that has come her way over the last year, despite the many challenges.

“I am so grateful to Cuddles Foundation and our nutritionist Didi for everything they have done for us”.

For Krishna Nandi, 3 words that were music to her ears – “No More Chemo!” – so it’s now back to friends, family and painting all day. Here’s wishing our budding artist a palette of opportunities and a canvas framed with hope.