Chettikulangara: Ramani's journey of hardship, which began when her daughter Radhika fell ill at the age of nine, continues even now when Radhika is 42 years old. The lives of the mother and daughter, in Chettikulangara, Alappuzha, are now mired in debt, with no means to even afford food. The money they borrowed for treatment has ballooned into lakhs of rupees. They live in perpetual fear of creditors who come to their home with threats of dire consequences. The sum of ₹18,000 they earn monthly – the son is a manual labourer and Ramani works as a domestic help – is barely enough to cover the interest payments. Then they are left with no money for food.

Radhika's illnesses began in 1991 with headaches. In 1999, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Following an operation at Sree Chitra, she underwent 32 radiation treatments. This was followed by prolonged treatment at Sree Chitra and Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram. The impoverished family depend on the kindness of good Samaritans for daily sustenance.

Though the initial illness seemed to have subsided, Radhika faced even more severe trials. Tumors were discovered in her pancreas and thyroid gland. Continuous medication caused her body to swell. Ramani, struggling to make ends meet, cannot provide even one proper meal a day for her daughter. Ramani’s life took another dark turn when she had to have a kidney removed due to an infection.

In 2018, Radhika's operation to remove the tumours in her kidney and pancreas was scheduled, but the doctors cancelled it because administering anaesthesia could lead to death or paralysis. They predicted she would not live for more than six months. Despite her severe health problems and poverty, Radhika did the work of watering plants in a garden. However, paralysis affecting one side of her body and loss of functionality of her right hand and leg confined her to the house again.

She frequently loses consciousness and is taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and then brought back home. Years of treatment have pushed the family into the depths of penury. Ramani works as a kitchen maid in a house 20 kilometres away to get food for them. But she is often unable to go to work because her daughter frequently loses consciousness, further disrupting their already meagre income. They live in a small house built on 3 cents of land, given to them by kind-hearted people. Her father passed away years ago. This mother and daughter now seek the help of compassionate people to escape their debt and receive treatment.

They have already paid four times the principal amount as interest. Now, Radhika is starting to lose her eyesight. Ramani cannot leave her daughter alone at home because of her failing eyesight.

Radhika's Account Number: 67272538111
IFSC Code: SBIN0070934
SBI Chettikulangara Branch