AGAINST ALL ODDS | Rama Ovhal, suffering from Hypoplastic MDS, needs `75,000 a month for treatment | Even insurers not willing to help her
Feisty, talkative and lively, there is little about Rama Ovhal’s spirit that shows the toll her life- threatening condition, Hypoplastic MDS, has taken on her.
Her 54-year-old body, however, shows clear signs of being battered by it. She sways as she walks, weakeness is her perpetual companion and her energy levels are always low.
“Her condition is like a production defect. Her bone marrow does not produce red blood cells and platelets, which means she has to undergo regular transfusions,” says Dr Anil Kamat, her doctor and consultant haematologist at Thane’s Jupiter Hospital.
According to Dr Kamat, there could be around 300 people affected with the condition in Mumbai.
“In some patients, it develop into cancer and lead to death,” he adds. Rupali, 24, has seen her mother struggle for the past four years, trying to raise funds for her treatment. Rama, a former nurse, is no longer able to work. “Many NGOs turned down our request for funds saying that since it is not cancer, we cannot help you,” Rupali says.
Her mother counters: “What is the point of waiting for me to develop full-blown cancer if I can be helped right now?”
Rama needs Rs 75,000 a month for medicines. A bone marrow transplant, which is out of the family’s reach, is the only cure for the disease.
Rupali, though, says that, in the past few years, many have helped them raise funds. “Friends of friends have come forward to donate blood platelets. There were times colleagues have contributed money so I could buy her weekly tablets,” she says.
Focussed on spreading awareness, she has plans to make a documentary on her mother’s condition so as to reach out to more people.
Rupali has completed her Masters in PR and pays for the mounting medical bills, while her elder brother is pursuing his Masters in France on a considerable scholarship that he received. Her father is an auto-rickshaw driver.
“Hypoplastic MDS is a rare condition, and, if untreated, it can lead to full-blown cancer. It is not very clear what leads to it. Environmental conditions could have a role to play,” said Dr Navin Khattry, professor of medical oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital.
While the disease has taken a toll on the family, Rama is not ready to give up. “My older son is pursuing Masters and I keep asking my daughter to apply for a government job. I tell them to not worry. If I die, I die but one must not lose hope and spend time worrying,” she says.
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