10-Month-Old Devanshi’s Neck Tumour Is Stealing Her Childhood

My baby hasn’t seen the world properly—her head is always bent down because of the tumour.

I’m the mother of two little girls. My younger daughter, Devanshi, is only 10 months old. She was born with a tumour on her neck. 

At first, we didn’t understand what it meant. The doctors later told us it was a condition called encephalocele—a part of her brain is growing outside her skull.

We were told she needs urgent surgery to remove the tumour—without it, her brain development could be permanently affected. The cost of this surgery is ₹8.5 lakhs($ 9930). 

We’ve never even seen that much money in our lives and we don’t know what to do. 

The longer we wait, the more we fear we might lose her. We’re constantly scared of what each new day might bring. The swelling on her neck didn’t seem dangerous at first. But now, that tumour has grown so much that my baby can’t even lift her head. Her neck is always bent forward. She can’t sit up, she can’t play like her sister did at that age, and she spends most of her time lying down.

 

 

I still remember the first time I held her. She looked so delicate, and all I could do was hope that she’d be okay. It breaks my heart to see her like this.

We live in a small house, with my husband’s parents and brother. My husband, Bharath, is only 21. He works as a daily-wage labourer, and earns around ₹7,000 to ₹8,000 a month. That’s all we have to feed and support our children as well as our parents, for whom we are now responsible. 

After paying for food and other essentials, there’s nothing left that can be used for our daughter’s treatment.

 

 

We’ve managed until now without treatment because we had no choice. But things are getting worse. Devanshi can’t sleep comfortably. And when I hold her, she tries to look up at me—but she can’t. 

That moment always breaks me. It’s hard to explain how helpless I feel as a mother when I can't do anything to ease her pain.

As a mother, I want just one thing—to see my daughter live a normal life. I want to hear her speak, to see her take her first steps, to watch her play with her sister. I don’t want her to grow up suffering. She deserves a chance to be a happy child.

 

 

We’re approaching you, because we have nowhere else to turn. All we can do is ask for your kindness.

Please, if you’re reading this, help us save our baby. Every contribution, no matter how small, will bring her closer to a normal, pain-free life. 

I just want my daughter to be able to lift her head, look at the world, and smile again.

Please save Devanshi.