Thami, who is from a tribal community, was already struggling in her role as a young mother when doctors told her about the life threatening disease she suffered from.Some three months ago, Sujata started to complain about back pain. But her family members relied on traditional treatment in the village itself as they had no money to go to a hospital.
As the pain started to grow about a month ago, she was taken to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) in Dharan.
During her visit, doctors told her family that she needed a surgery to remove tumors in her back. But she stopped visiting the hospital after that because the people in her village told her that doctors steal kidneys.
"I feared going to hospital and continued to rely on traditional massage at my village instead," said Sujata. "But after the pain intensified, I visited the hospital three days ago. That's when the doctors told me to go to Bharatpur Cancer Hospital for treatment."
The tumor in Sujata's back has now grown in size, according to doctors at the BPKIHS, Dharan.
Knowing that her family cannot pay for the surgery, Sujata now blames her accursed fate for all the troubles she has had to face in life so far.
Although the doctors have told her to undergo chemotherapy, she is at a loss because her family lacks the money to pay for the costly treatment.
Sujata became pregnant at the age of 12 because of her illicit relationship with one Purushottam Baraili. After her pregnancy, Baraili, 21, accepted her and they got married. Her husband works as a laborer and the family barely manages to scrape by on his meager earnings.
"For the last three months, my neighbors had been supporting my treatment," Sujata said. "Although the doctors have told me to seek treatment at Bharatpur as earliest as possible, I cannot afford the treatment."
Kamala Thami, one of her neighbors, informed that there is no one in the family except her elderly father. Her mother has gone abroad for foreign employment.
Sujata suffers from malignant tumors, according to Pashupati Chaudhary, deputy hospital director at BPKIHS. "The malignant tumors are made up of cancerous cells that grow out of control. Cells in these tumors can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body," he said.
"She needs chemotherapy at Bharatpur Cancer Hospital as soon as possible," doctor Chudhary said, informing that BPKIHS had performed an MRI on her free of cost.
Sujata has now pinned her hope on helping hands to support her treatment, according to women journalists and women network in Dharan, whom she had approached recently seeking help.
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