Vivek Kumar was born into a family of laborers in Godda, Jharkhand in 2015, and has been suffering from Thalassemia ever since. However, although his father has left no stone unturned to seek treatment for his only son, he is now unable to bear the brunt of their sinking finances.

Vivek was fit for the first three months after the delivery, but, following that, he started falling sick often. Upon medical consultation, the doctors familiarized Vivek's family with his condition. Thalassemia is a blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal.

As a means of treatment, the doctors advised that Vivek should get regular blood transfusions every 15 days. Initially, Vivek's father, Dilip Yadav, managed the responsibility smoothly. However, five and a half years later, Vivek's medical condition has started to take a toll on Dilip.

Dilip has traveled from one medical institution to the other to seek treatment for his son. Initially, they were referred to Bhagalpur, from where they were referred to Patna, and finally to Delhi. Not just that, when the country went under the pandemic-induced lockdown, Dilip faced another set of difficulties.

After the transport facilities shut down, he traveled for nearly 400 km (248 miles) on his bicycle with his son to get his blood transfusions done. He traveled from Godda to Dumka on his cycle after the ambulance he was assured did not show up.

According to the doctors, Vivek's treatment requires a total of Rs 20 lakh (USD 27,342). However, being a laborer, Dilip hardly earns Rs 10 thousand ( USD 136) per month, in which he has to look after seven family members. Vivek's condition has also affected Dilip's professional life as he is unable to commit to long-term projects because he has to take his son for blood transfusions every fortnight.

Vivek's mother, Rekha Devi, also expresses her helplessness in the matter and says that they have tried everything they could. They also applied from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and acquired a sum of Rs 3 lakh (USD 4,101) but are still lagging funds for Vivek's treatment.

While their five-and-a-half-year-old child battles Thalassemia, Dilip and Rekha are battling their financial crisis and are on the verge of giving up. They express their inability and seek financial aid from society. They also urge the citizens to support Vivek's dream of leading an ordinary life.