Lend a helping hand to Karnataka's Hruthika

Three-year-old Hruthika is fighting for her life at Manipal Hospital. She was hospitalised in Mysore due to severe cold and cough, following which she had a cardiac arrest.

Though she was on a ventilator ever since, when the frequency of the attack increased and breathing condition deteriorated, she was referred to Manipal Hospital, where she was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder — late-onset central hypoventilation syndrome with hypothalamic dysfunction.

She also underwent a surgery to remove a tumour from her chest at the hospital. Dr Gunda Srinivas, department, Paediatrics, Manipal Hospital, treating the child said, “In this condition, a person forgets to breathe while other parts of the body function normally. Currently, she has undergone surgery to make her breathe, but she might have to stick to the breathing machine forever.”

The child’s family is not in a position to afford an expensive breathing machine that can keep her alive. Her father expired three months ago in a fatal road accident. The family needs financial support for the child’s education and medical expenses. To support Hruthika, cheques may be addressed to “Manipal Foundation”.