2-Year-Old Kaashvi Battles With Rarest Of Rare Disease, You Can Help Save Her!

Kaashvi, 2, is too young to understand that all is not good with her. In her adorable Instagram videos, you may see her smiling and breezing through life one day at a time, but that is not the case. Kaashvi will turn 3 in the coming months, but her survival relies solely on a medical treatment that costs ₹16 crore.

The little one is suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 2, a rare genetic disease that is weakening her muscles daily. Her only hope is Zolgensma, a life-saving gene therapy that costs a whopping ₹16 crore. Kaashvi’s family hails from Kolkata and is in urgent need of financial support to fund this critical treatment.

Kaashvi has been in and out of hospitals ever since she has been diagnosed with SMA Type 2. Symptoms include progressive muscle weakness that can affect a child’s limbs, causing them to be bed ridden. Muscle weakness in the child’s chest suffering from this neuro disorder can result in lung-related issues, including severe difficulty in breathing. While Kaashvi's fate has nudged her in the clutches of this severe medical condition, she continues to fight bravely, each day, without knowing what lies ahead.

Kaashvi's parents say that she was diagnosed with SMA Type 2 this year in June. She was all of two years and seven months when the heartbreaking diagnosis came through. "We went to a doctor and she revealed her condition to us. Previously, she used to cough a lot and catch cold easily. Right now, if she is sitting in a position, she will keep sitting like that. She asks us that she wants to play with the kids and seeks our help in walking around. She wants to do it, but her body is not capable of doing that," Kaashvi's parents shared, almost tearing up while talking about their ailing daughter.

The advanced gene therapy Zolgensma holds the key to Kaashvi's survival. This procedure can replace the faulty gene that causes SMA Type 2 and not just cure the symptoms. Children who have received the treatment early have bounced back better than before and Kaashvi would hope to do exactly that, head towards a future she deserves.

"There is no cure for this but there is a preventive therapy. One treatment is Zolgensma which costs ₹16 crore and includes shipping, customs, taxes and other costs. I sometimes wonder, why us? Why me? Maybe we can do things for her. That's why she came to us. It's tough," Kaashvi's parents said in an emotional appeal.