Cancer survivor’s child raises funds for leukaemia-hit teen

Hyderabad: A 14-year-old student, whose mother conquered cancer, is now funding the treatment of a boy from Coimbatore. She has already raised Rs 2 lakh for his treatment.
Keerthana Lakshmi Krishna is a class 9 student of an international school, whose mother, a teacher, was diagnosed with cancer when Keerthana was just 11 years old. “It was the toughest phase of my life.After a year’s struggle, my mother was able to defeat the disease,” she said
Keerthana decided to celebrate the month her mother was diagnosed with cancer by bringing hope to other cancer warriors in hospitals every year. She started buying small toys for the children and leaving notes that they would beat it. She soon began partnering with NGOs to reach out to more patients. A story that struck a chord was 17-year-old boy from Coimbatore, who had a relapse of leukaemia.
“Aditya (name changed) required immediate treatment to save his life. His father, being a lorry driver was not able to meet expenses. I can understand the roller-coaster emotions he must be going through. In the last year of school, he too must be dreaming of graduating, going to college and working, like I do,” said Keerthana. With Covid-19 pandemic, Keerthana’s ability to meet patients has been restricted, but not her spirit. She helped raise Rs 2 lakh through her own contacts for Aditya. “I want to continue doing what I can to help as many children fight cancer. This is personal to me,” she said.
NGO AROH, which helps children with cancer, connected Keerthana with Aditya. “Every child suffering from cancer needs at least Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh minimum for treatment. It is effort like that of Keerthana’s that go a long way in helping children,” said Bindu Nair, managing trustee, AROH