While children usually suffer from colds, flu or stomach pains, Nitin Reddy got something more serious – Thalassemia, when he was just six months old. Thalassemia is a blood disorder in which the body generates an abnormal form of hemoglobin, in which the child is often born normal at birth, but develops severe anemia, bone deformities in the face, fatigue, shortness of breath, etc in the first year.
The Reddy family lives in Kadappa, Andhra Pradesh. Desperate to find a solution, Nitin’s father Janardhan Reddy and his mother Sunitha, consulted the best hospitals. They were advised to get Nitin registered with the Thalassemia Sickle Cell Society, Hyderabad (TSCS), an NGO validated and supported by CAF India. Thanks to regular contributions from Microsoft India employees through CAF India’s Payroll Giving programme – Give As You Earn, Nitin has been receiving transfusions and medical care in a timely manner since the age of six months. To maintain a healthy life, Nitin’s hemoglobin level has to be between 9 to 9.5 gm/ml.
Recently, Nitin and his family visited TSCS after a long time. While the TSCS volunteers assumed it would be like any other visit where the little boy would get a transfusion, they were in for a sweet surprise. Nitin was a transformed boy, free of the disease and leading a normal life!
Seeing the joyous faces of his parents, it was clear that they were celebrating the new life that their son was enjoying. This was possible through a successful bone marrow transplant. His sister was found to be a perfect match and with financial support from various sources, the Reddys finally managed to proceed with the transplantation.
Nitin is now seven years old and studies in standard one. He is completely healthy now (free of thalassemia) and life without thalassemia means no more transfusions and no more daily struggles.
It is success stories like Nitin’s that gives hope to thousands of families whose children are unfortunate victims of this dreadful disease. We are all happy to have played a part in transforming Nitin’s life for the better.
* TSCS is a validated NGO partner of CAF India and receives financial support from Microsoft India employees through our Payroll Giving programme – Give As You Earn. Â
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India is a registered not-for-profit organization established in New Delhi, India in 1998 nurturing the culture of giving with impact. The imbibing of this culture emboldens our approach of creating a positive change in the community by reaching to the last mile person.
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