KOCHI: The parents of two-year-old Fidha Faizal, a native of Edakochi, were devastated when their daughter was diagnosed with cancer earlier this month. A dangerous ball-sized tumour had sprouted on her face, which made it hard for her to talk, eat and breathe. A hole had to be punctured in her throat to aid respiration.
Though the tumour was curable, the family was struggling to raise money for Fidha’s treatment. “Over the past month, the tumour kept on growing. We took her to many hospitals but none of the medicines worked. It was only after conducting a biopsy we found out that she was fighting cancer,” said Alisha, mother of Fidha.
The treatment cost amounted to Rs 10 lakh and Fidha’s father Faizal, an autorickshaw driver, could not afford it. However, Faizal’s friend, Jasim, came to the rescue by starting an online fundraising campaign on Milaap, an online crowdfunding platform. The campaign raised Rs 7.5 lakh in just three days.
More than 500 generous donors from across the country and abroad donated for Fidha’s treatment. The family is now hopeful of raising the remaining amount. The campaign has been widely shared on social media channels. Speaking about its success, Milaap’s campaign manager for the fundraiser Aanisah said, “Faizal’s friend Jasim used his local network very well to drive maximum donations, he even shared the campaign with his friends in Dubai. Later, Milaap promoted this campaign on social media and this further accelerated donations.” The fund raised so far will be transferred directly to the hospital’s account.