Three months of medical treatment following her aplastic anaemia diagnosis at two years and nine months old has failed to deter Vihaana Prasad’s fight for recovery.
Her mother, Madhvi Poonam, said Vihaana is now three years old and is currently in isolation at the Lautoka Hospital.
The charitable organisation Being Helping Hands Fiji is constantly appealing on behalf of the family via social media for B-positive blood donations to assist with Vihaana’s platelet transfusion.
Vihaana was diagnosed with this illness when she travelled to India for treatment in March.
She was also diagnosed with pneumonia upon returning to the Lautoka Hospital this month for breathing problems.
“To be honest, like, I don’t know how she does it, she’s so small, but she gives us hope,” Ms Poonam said.
“If you see her, she’s still smiling through the pain and that gives us strength to keep going because she’s fighting.”
Vihaana contracted a mild viral illness at the end of January. She was not admitted, but after a week her family noticed red spots on her body.
After blood tests, doctors discovered that her platelets were low and she was then admitted to the Lautoka Hospital where she underwent a bone marrow biopsy.
Ms Poonam said she and her husband were tested and results indicated that her stem cells matched Vihaana’s, making her the ideal donor.
“We ended up back at the hospital, when they did the blood test, and they had a look at her platelet counts, and they were dropping.”
Ms Poonam said the family arrived in India on March 9, where Vihaana had another bone marrow test done.
Doctors confirmed the diagnosis of aplastic anaemia, and suggested treatment options. However, financial constraints forced the family to return on March 17.
Ms Poonam said the options provided by doctors were chemotherapy with Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) or a bone marrow transplant.
“In June, she had her first bone marrow transplant. So, for bone marrow transplant, they look at whoever the donor is.
“We didn’t know if she was going to make it during that period. Even the doctors had given us a 15 to 20 per cent chance of survival, but we had no option.”
Ms Poonam said two transplants, lung complications and liver problems proved to be too much for Vihaan’s body.
“She’s our only child, and you want to see your child better so we’re giving everything that we’ve got.”
