Help for my son’s Cancer battle and family support

I am Pravina, residing at Westmead, NSW. I am a hard-working single mother who does casual jobs on a full-time basis and raises two children independently. Although my life presents these challenges, I have been trying to deal with them with my strong determination and resilience.

Two months ago, tragedy struck our family. My younger 16-year-old son, Rijwal, has been diagnosed with Bone Cancer. This is a devastating blow to my already barely balanced life. He was hospitalised immediately to Prince Alfred Hospital for treatment.

He has been going through several tests, such as X-rays/blood tests, CT scans, MRIs, and Biopsy. For about the last 6 weeks, he has been on Chemotherapy. This treatment is expected to be continued for more than 8 months. After the first stage of Chemotherapy, Rijwal has suffered severe weight loss, frequent nausea, vomiting, anemia, hair loss, and loss of appetite. We are working hard to feed him and make him ready for the next dose of therapy. However, despite our efforts, these treatments have severely impacted Rijwals mental and emotional health due to his aggressive cancer regimen (with difficult treatments such as Red Devil chemo).

Now Rijwal requires my (his mother’s) continuous support, caretaking, and coordination with the healthcare team. Rijwal will also have to go through multiple surgeries and radiation therapies soon. He will miss his education for the entire year, heavily impacting his future studies. This is a crucial period in his life, and I am giving everything to ensure his life is back on track.

Due to this, I have been struggling and haven’t been able to work. Due to the increased cost of living, high rent costs for the unit we live in, daily costs such as groceries, utilities, transportation, etc, I am facing extreme financial hardship, and now it is becoming unbearable.

Hence, I am reaching out to you through this GoFundMe campaign to raise some money for Rijwal and our family. Your small help in this terrible time for us will make a huge difference.

Thank you for your kindness and compassion.

With deepest gratitude,

Pravina Panchal.