Kasaragod villagers raise Rs 42L for schoolteacher's cancer treatment

MANGALURU: Residents of Badiyadka village in Kasaragod, bordering Dakshina Kannada, have come together to fund a cancer-stricken schoolteacher's treatment that requires specialised and expensive medical care.

Prashanth Rai, 41, a Hindi teacher from Mundithadka School, is battling blood cancer, and requires CAR T-cell therapy, for which, a fundraising campaign was launched on Thursday by social worker Fayaz Madoor and his team, aiming to collect Rs 75 lakh.

Until Saturday evening, the team had managed to accumulate Rs 42 lakh.

"Rai, a committed social worker himself, is more than just a schoolteacher to us. He has been suffering from blood cancer for the last two years. His family has already spent around Rs 40 lakh for his treatment," Madoor told STOI.

A father of two school-going children, Rai is known for his compassionate nature. Apart from providing financial assistance, he had helped admit several needy people to hospitals in the past.

"It is unfortunate that today, someone who always stood by others himself needs help," said Padmanabha Nayak, the staff secretary at SMM Aided Upper Primary School, Mundithadka.

Estimated cost for treatment is Rs 74 lakh
Dr Sharat Damodar, the clinical director at Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre in Narayana Health City, Bengaluru, said the estimated cost for chemotherapy and CAR T-cell therapy is around Rs 74 lakh.

"We hope to begin his treatment in Bengaluru within a week of raising the required funds," said Madoor, who has been actively involved in social service for the last five years.

Madoor had previously handled more than 200 cases, helping raise funds to the tune of Rs 25 crore for families in need of medical assistance.

Sharing details of his Good Samaritan act, Madoor said: "I don't collect the money directly. Instead, contributors are encouraged to directly credit the beneficiary's account. We only help with creating awareness videos and sharing them on social media platforms," he added.