'If it's my destiny to fight till my last breath, then I am ready for it,' said Jalpa Mistry, a good-looking girl who happens to be a Thalassemia Major patient.
"If it's my destiny to fight till my last breath, then I am ready for it," said Jalpa Mistry, a good-looking girl who happens to be a Thalassemia Major patient. Jalpa was born to Hemant and Kaminiben Mistry on February 7, 1988.
Ever since her father's death four years back, Jalpa has been fighting a battle for survival, not only for herself, but also for her mother who is suffering from lung cancer.
Jalpa's father died of heart attack 4 years back. Immediately after her father's death, doctors found that her mother had lung cancer.
But even this failed to destroy Jalpa's courage who has continued to look after herself and her family members for the last four years.
"I gave up studies after Std 10 and began working to pay for my medical expenses," said Jalpa. She said she had worked as a salesgirl, tele-caller and receptionist to pay for the blood transfusion she needs every month.
She also has to take two injections daily; these cost around Rs300.
"Right now I am working as a salesgirl at a gifts shop where I have to stand for 10 hours. At times, I go to work immediately after a blood transfusion," she said.
She earns a modest Rs5,000 per month but this small amount is important as it pays for her medical expenses and keeps her going.
Jalpa said she wants to stay alive at any cost, not so much for herself, but for her ailing mother. "I use my salary to get blood transfusion every month so that my mother doesn't have to worry about it," she said. "I have to stay alive; otherwise who will take care of her?"
Kaminiben has been on chemotherapy for the last eight months.
There is no other source of income for this mother-daughter duo.
Jalpa feels offended by donors who ask her for her and her mother's medical bills before giving financial help.
"I never feel sorry for my situation. I always stay happy because it is necessary to fight my difficulties," she said, with a smile on her face. Jalpa's brother, Karan, is studying at an engineering college in Kheda.
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