You Can Save This Angel

This is a heart-rending story for all those who are large hearted and in a position to extend financial assistance to save the life of a nine-year old child.

Angelica Fernandes, daughter of Johnny Anthony Fernandes, an insurance consultant, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy since birth. Right from the day she was born, Angelica is unable to walk, talk, sit, hold her head and hence has been completely dependent on her parents. She was taken to so many doctors that her father says he has lost count of them. Worse, none of the insurance agencies were willing to insure her, due to the nature of her illness.

In the initial years she was constantly having convulsions due to epileptic attacks. Each time she had an attack, she was admitted to Manipal Hospital for a few days. This happened for about 40 times, with the cost per stay in the hospital being around Rs 25,000/-. Angelica is her parents' only child, and they have exhausted all their means in the course of taking care of her.

In 2005, their hopes rose during a chance meeting with Dr. Jagdish in Mysore who runs the Jag Therapy Center, where Angelica's spastic condition was alleviated. At this time the doctors found that Angelica's food passage, epiglottis, had shifted and this was the reason why she could not partake food through her mouth.
In April, 2006, Angelica's complications got worse when she started vomiting blood. After admitting her in Manipal hospital her Dad was given back a 9 Kg baby with very little chances of survival (she was 20 Kg at the time of admitting). They then took her to Narayana Hrudayalaya where she was diagnosed to have bleeding ulcers in her food pipe (Oesophagus) which resulted in her vomiting blood. A feeding tube was hence inserted into her stomach to enable passage of food. After this she could be fed at home and her parents could take care of her in spite of regular infections in the area where the food pipe was inserted, which had to be treated with antibiotics regularly.

In the first week of January, 2008 Angelica's condition once again took a turn for the worse. Angelica was constantly sleepless and blood mixed discharges were coming out of the tube in her stomach. She was also breathless. Doctors at the Narayana Hrudayalaya now detected a fungal infection in her stomach (called Candida), and due to the constant blood discharges her haemoglobin content had become very low. Added to this she was also diagnosed to have bronchial pneumonia and air bubbles in the lungs (staph infection). She was kept on the ventilator and oxygen in the ICU. She continues to be in ICU even now and doctors have said that she will have to stay at least for the next 22 days here.

According to Johnny Fernandes, the daily medical expenses would be around Rs 15,000/-. After 9 long years of meeting his daughter's expenses, he is now completely in a financially hopeless position.

If you wish, this beautiful angel's life can be saved and the heart-broken condition of her parents mitigated. TWB appeals to readers to send in their contributions by cheque/DD to the account of Johnny Anthony Fernandes, A/c no. 0761200012110, HDFC Bank, MG Road branch, Bangalore. Johnny Fernandes' mobile number is 98440 36576. "I appeal to you to also pray to my daughter," says Johnny Fernandes, refusing to get despondent and still hopeful. May god bless this angel.