A desperate mother is making a heartfelt plea for assistance in raising money for her 13-year-old son, Manvit Manish Lal who is battling a rare skull tumour.
Manvit’s family needs $21,000 for treatment in India by the end of this month as his condition is rapidly deteriorating.
His mother, Damyanti says 13-year-old Manvit was a healthy child before the age of 10 when she discovered a swelling on the right side of his forehead.
He was examined at the Navua Hospital, after which doctors diagnosed the swelling as a cyst.
Damyanti, who lives in Navua says as parents they were still concerned because the swelling was growing in size over a period of two years and her son gained very little weight, and would often complain of ear pain, teary eyes and sinuses.
The Vashist Muni Primary School class 8 student was examined by a neurosurgeon in August last year, and was diagnosed with having a fibrous dysplasia, which is a tumour that causes abnormal bone growth.
The mother of 4 says in mid-February of this year, doctors informed them, after consulting with the Paediatric Oncology team in Christchurch, Australia, that they currently lack the necessary medication to treat Manvit’s condition in Fiji.
She says they decided to get him treated in India.
The estimated cost of this trip is around $38,000, and while the family has managed to collect $17,000 through donations from family and friends, they still need a further $21,000.
She says her husband works as a Manager for a company, which is willing to sponsor their travel tickets.
She says a kava barrel has also been organised at the Vashisht Muni Primary School Hall this afternoon, from 6pm to 11.45pm to raise additional funds.
If you wish to assist Manvit, you can donate via M-PAiSA to Damyanti on 8758004, or to the BSP Bank Account: Damyanti – 81511238.
