I’m Rabia Muddasir Dabilkar. When I found out, I was pregnant with twins, my joy knew no bounds. I still remember taking a red marker and making a big circle marking my due date “December 21” on every calendar in our house. My husband and I had eagerly waited for this day. We just couldn’t wait for their laughter and squeaks to fill our houses and brighten our lives. But fate had a different plan.
My twins came into this world in the 25th week of my pregnancy - on September 8 at 4.08 and 4.09 am to be precise. Since they were born premature, they were extremely underdeveloped and weak, weighing just a little over 800 grams each. Before I could set my eyes on them, the nurses immediately took them to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). That’s what’s keeping them alive and breathing. Every single day spent in the NICU costs us a total of Rs. 40,000 for both of them and taking them out would mean killing them. The doctors have said that they would require intensive care for 3 more months. Which means, if I don’t pay Rs. 23,00,000 on time, I will lose my first and only children to the clutches of death. The life that we had been praying and hoping for will end before it could even start. Please help me save their lives.
I live in Nalasopara with my husband and parents. My husband is a freelancer and makes a total of Rs. 5,000 to 20,000 depending on the number of clients he has in that month. I’m a housewife. The money my husband makes goes into feeding four mouths. Arranging for an amount that high is beyond our capabilities. It has not even been a month since they came into my lives and we’ve already been warned about the possibility of them leaving us forever. How will I live with myself if I lose both my babies?
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It all started with mild labour pains I experienced on September 7. As the day passed, the pangs of pain that I was experiencing became sharper. I couldn’t bear the pain even after popping painkillers. When my husband rushed me to the hospital, we were shocked to hear what the doctors said. They said I was ready to get operated. This was my moment - I had read many pregnancy books to prepare myself for that moment. But I forgot everything I knew because of the pain and anxiety - I just focussed on breathing properly and thinking positively. I heard them cry and that was it, that was how I met my children after nurturing them in my womb for six long months.
4 long days after my delivery, I got a chance to actually see them. The NICU and not my arms is their home now. The tiny structures of my babies have gone through so much since they came into this world. Their blood is tested everyday, they’ve already gone through a brain and heart test. Since their bodies aren’t self-sufficient, their breathing is assisted with a ventilator, CPAP support and a gavage tube is feeding them right now. It kills me to see their bodies pierced. But there’s absolutely nothing I can do. I can’t even hold their hands and let them know that I’m there for them. I don’t know what we’ve done to go through so much pain.
So far, we’ve tried to tackle the cost of medicines, tests, injections and the NICU by dipping into our savings, running to our relatives and loved ones for help. We’ve paid Rs. 3 lakh and exhausted all our sources. And that’s nothing compared to the amount we’re expected to pay to keep our children alive. I feel helpless. The lives of my children are hanging by a thin thread and I don’t have the money to save them. Please help me out - my children mean the world to me.
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