Kruthika is no more

It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we inform you of passing of our dear little Kruthika. Kruthika was fighting with cancer for a long time and on November 5th the inevitable occured.

We sincerely pray that her parents muster the courage to move on in life. It will be unbearable pain for them, but hopefully they will accept the reality. Santhosh will keep in touch with the family in the coming days and extend any help that they may require to overcome this tragic incident.

We thank everyone who contributed to our efforts. We didn't get what we wanted in the end. But we had put in our best efforts, to the best of our abilities. There are countless Kruthika-like children in our society who need help. Let us work with renewed zeal to help them to the best of our abilities.

Good Bye Kruthika.

Kruthika : VERY IMPORTANT update

Dear All,

We have an important update for Kruthika. Please do read till the end.

As you may be knowing, Kruthika was undergoing Chemo Therapy after the surgery last year for bone cancer. She was responding well to the treatment and was even able to walk without the help. She was doing well till the end of July.

However, she started experiencing pain near her chest from July end. Her family didn't initially come for a detailed scanning as was suggested by the doctor, as they were bit hesitant to ask for more help from Santhosh. Santhosh called them back to Bangalore for a complete check up on August 18th. The scanning reports revealed the recurrence of cancer attack.

This is a very unfortunate situation because,
- Cancer has spread to lungs now
- This is a recurrence of cancer attack. She was getting Chemo therapy earlier and the recurrence means that further Chemo and radiation therapy would be of no value now.

Santhosh has had a long discussion with Dr. Durga Prasanna, who was taking care of Kruthika's treatment. Doctor has essentially told us to prepare for the inevitable. Doctor had a quick discussion with his professors, experts from AIMS, and he has told us not to have any positive hopes of a recovery from this point. Even spending huge amount of money on any other possible treatment would only delay the inevitable by few weeks/days.

Her family is shocked and devastated with this news. They are sitting infront of her counting the final number of days. My words fail to express that pain, that sense of helplessness of losing child infront of their own eyes and not being able to do anything for that. Let us pray that they muster enough courage and love for life to carry on.

We, as a group (Asthe), could probably claim that we did what we could. Somehow such cliams sounds very hollow to me at this unfortunate moment. We did provide her the best medical treatment that we could possibly. We provided moral support to the family, thanks largely to Santhosh's kind heart. We spent enormous time, money and energy for this cause. End result is not we have hoped for, but we have no choice, but to accept. But, yes, our efforts probably added one year to her life. This is a moment to understand and accept the limitations of our efforts.

Santhosh will be meeting Kruthika. He has been too involved in this cause. Please let us know if you want to meet Kruthika. Let us make every possible effort to make her happy, before that opportunity is no more available to us.

ವಿಕ್ಕಿಗೆ ಅಭಿನಂದನೆಗಳು

ವಿಕ್ಕಿ ಅಲಿಯಾಸ್ ವಿಕ್ರಮ್ ಹತ್ವಾರ್-ಗೆ ಈ ಬಾರಿಯ ಕನ್ನಡಪ್ರಭ-ಸ್ವಪ್ನಬುಕ್ ಹೌಸ್ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಕಥಾ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲ ಬಹುಮಾನ್ ದಕ್ಕಿದೆ. ವಿವರಗಳಿಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.

ವಿಕ್ಕಿ ಯಾರು ಅಂತ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ವಾ? ಇದನ್ನ ಓದಿ. ಅಂದಹಾಗೆ, ಈ ಖುಶಿಯ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವತರಿಗೆ ಮಸಾಲೆ ದೋಸೆ ಪಾರ್ಟಿ ಕೊಡಿಸ್ತೇನೆ ಅಂತ ವಿಕ್ಕಿ ವಾಗ್ದಾನ ನೀಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ನಿಮಗೂ ಬರ್ಬೇಕು ಅನ್ನಿಸಿದ್ರೆ ಅವನನ್ನೇ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ.

Thank you

The final round of Kruthika's Chemo therapy was successful too. Kruthika is doing fine now.

Asthe got involved with Kruthika's case when the family was looking for financial help during the initial stage of treatment. We committed ourselves to work with the family till the final round of Chemo therapy. This case will not be a primary case for Asthe henceforth. However, we will keep in touch with the family and will let you know of any medical emergencies or assistance needed for family. It is very important to note that, there can't be a 100% assurance in Cancer, even though the suggested cycle of treatment is over, . However, we believe earnestly, that we have put in our best effort possible. We have done what we could. Let us hope for the best.

This is an important milestone for Asthe, as we have been able to take yet another primary case to its logical conclusion. This case spanned over a period of time requiring sustained focus and needed a huge amount of financial, moral support to the concerned family. This would not have been possible without the contribution from many. Various people from various domains have contributed to Kruthika's cause in various capacities....doctors, social workers, social service organizations, people from media, financial contributors.....Thanks to all.

Asthe seeks your continued support to help more needy people. We need people from all walks of life to join hands with us to help people more effectively. We need committed and passionate individuals who can dedicate some amount of their leisure time to our activities. Please write to aasthe-subscribe@yahoogroups.com if you are interested.

Let us do it together.

Update on Kruthika

Kruthika will be in Vydehi hospital today for her final round of Chemotherapy. She will be in Bangalore till this Saturday. Please let us know if anyone wants to visit her. You can call Santhosh on 98452-34517 if you need anything immediately.

Following is the hospital address:
Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences And Research Centre
#82, Nallurahalli, Near BMTC 18th Depot,
Whitefield, Bangalore - 560 066.
Tel: 28412956, 28413381/2/3/4/5.

We will write to you in detail once the Chemo is over.

Important Update: Shivaraju

We were initially told that the operation had to happen within one month and we duly acted with a sense of urgency. However, we have verified with the concerned doctor that this operation can wait for some more time (although a longer delay should be avoided). We want the treatment to occur at the earliest though, since the delay in treatment means delay in Shivaraju becoming employable. He is currently un-employed and has to support his family of his spouse and a small baby.

We are also trying to get an alternative medical opinion on whether any alternative medical treatment is possible. We are also trying to explore if this operation can be conducted in other hospitals at a lower cost. We have tried in couple of hospitals already, but without success. We will update you when we have more details. This case is on hold until then.

Shivaraju needs help

Who is Shivaraju?
C.T.Shivaraju is a 34 year old, qualified (M.A, B.Ed, MCTT(HRM)) private school teacher working since 1998 in Cheekanahalli, Pandavapura taluk.

What is up with him?
Shivaraju started having eye sight problems and he subsequently visited Usha Kirana hospital in Mysore. He was diagnosed to have myopia in both eyes. However, hospital didn't give any guarantee for restoration of eye-sight. Shivaraju had to quit his low salaried teaching job due to poor eye-sight.

Shivaraju was then advised to approach Lotus Eye hospital in Coimbatore. Incidentally, Dr. Ananth, Ophthalmologist at the hospital happens to be the spouse of one of Shivaraju's students. Shivaraju is advised to undergo Phaco + Aspheric IOL in both eyes. The operation cost is estimated to be around Rs 46,000/-.

Why does he need help?
Shivaraju hasn't been able to undergo operation till now due to financial reasons. He was earning a very meagre salary as a temporary teacher in a private school. He is married since 2006 and has a daughter. He is currently unemployed and hence unable to bear the operation cost. Hospital has assured us a discount of Rs 5,000/- and hence the revised estimate is Rs 41,000/-.

Please come forward and help Shivaraju financially. It is not only a help to Shivaraju, but also to his family of spouse and a small baby. He is a young, qualified person and your timely financial help can help him regain economic independence for his family.

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