Struggle to strength, Help Shivanshi defeat SMA.

Dear friends, family, and compassionate strangers,

My name is Neetu, I live in Toronto. I am raising this fund for my niece Shivanshi living in India.

We are reaching out to you today with a heartfelt plea for help and support for our beloved 13 month old daughter Shivanshi who has been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 2.

At 11 months old, we noticed Shivanshi, who could previously sit up, suddenly started to hunch and eventually was not able to sit without support. A doctor's visit to get a referral for physiotherapy left us with some worrying concerns, and our fears were confirmed on June 28th after we received genetic test results confirming that Shivanshi has SMA Type 2.

This is a rare genetic progressive neuromuscular condition that weakens the muscles over time, affecting the ability to sit, crawl or walk. Without intervention, her condition will worsen, impacting her swallowing, breathing and can even be fatal. It shattered us and the whole family, trying to reason out ‘how is this even possible?’. We are still going through the coping process while trying to stay strong and learn more about SMA each day. Since then we have visited multiple doctors for multiple tests to support Shivanshi.

We have discovered a ray of hope in the form of Zolgensma, a revolutionary gene therapy that could potentially change Shivanshi's life forever. This one-time treatment halts the progression of the disease and restores motor neuron function. This has already transformed the lives of many other children, allowing them to reach important milestones and achieve a greater quality of life.

Unfortunately, Zolgesma comes at the astronomical price of $2.1M USD [16 Cr Indian Rs] and is beyond the means of my family alone. For it to be safe and effective, Shivanshi must undergo treatment before she turns 2 yrs old. She is in a race against time. Every day we delay from now will just weaken her muscles and will cause irreversible motor neuron damage that can be life threatening.

Shivanshi is a beautiful little girl who has captured our hearts with her infectious smile and resilient spirit. Despite the challenges she faces every day, she continues to fight with immense strength. We would want Shivanshi to have the best life possible but we need your help, we cannot reach this goal alone. Please help us move mountains for our child.

Your generosity and compassion can make a world of difference for Shivanshi. Every contribution, no matter how small, brings us closer to our goal. Here's how you can help:

Donate: Contribute what you can. Every dollar counts, and your contribution will directly fund Shivanshi's life-changing treatment.

Share: Spread the word about Shivanshi's story and our crowdfunding campaign through your social media networks, emails, and word of mouth. The more people who know about our cause, the greater our chances of reaching our target.

We also have a crowdfund running on Milaap[https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-shivanshi-mishra-1].

Thanking everyone,

Akash and Aarti (Parents)

Neetu (Aunt) managing crowdfund outside India