Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru villagers chip in to fund ₹22L treatment for Thalassemia-hit boy

Rajahmundry: Bayyana Gudem, a village of around 10,000 people under Koyyala Gudem mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru district, woke up to distressing news on May 3 that one of its boys, suffering from Thalassemia, would survive only if he underwent a bone marrow transplant — a life-saving medical procedure that costs about ₹22 lakh.

Ekanath Nagta Manikanta, a class 5 student, has been suffering from the blood disorder for the last two years. With doctors suggesting an immediate bone marrow transplant to save his life, the 11-year-old boy’s father Singamesetty Anji Babu, a daily wage labourer, sold his land to muster funds for his only son’s treatment. But, the amount was too little.

On learning about Manikanta’s condition, the villagers decided to chip in for the procedure, despite most of them coming from poor backgrounds. A social worker from the village, Maddu Teja Viswanath, led a crowdfunding campaign with the help of 30 youngsters on WhatsApp. He created a group on the messaging app with about 400 members to raise funds for the treatment, and regularly sent updates on the funds being collected. In fact, several village kids even emptied their piggy banks for the cause. As of Monday, ₹17.5 lakh was collected through Viswanath’s campaign.

Natakasala Venkata Raju, another social activist from the village, donated ₹5 lakh, taking the amount to ₹22.5 lakh. Speaking to TOI, Viswanath said, “I developed an app too, through which some of my friends in the US donated ₹1.2 lakh. A teacher from the village, Ramana, created another app through which he collected ₹95,000. I contributed ₹50,000, while Polavaram MLA Chirri Bala Raju contributed ₹50,000. We want the boy to get the best possible treatment,” he said.

Viswanath further said that they have already raised funds from 11 wards of the village, and will cover the remaining three wards in the next two days.