As the Bombay High Court decides today whether Niketa Mehta will be allowed to have an abortion, she has a staunch supporter in someone she has never met Nikita Patel. The Kandivli resident gave birth to a daughter, Bhavisha, five years ago. Only at the time of birth was Nikita told that the baby was suffering from the Sturge-Weber syndrome, a rare neurological and skin disorder that has no cure.

The five-year-old girl is still as helpless as a new-born. She can't even sit or eat anything that is not puréed.

"Had we known about our baby's condition before delivery, we would've considered an abortion. We love our daughter and we had so many dreams for her as we wanted only one child.

However when I see her today, I wish that no other mother has to endure the pain of seeing their child suffer so much," says a teary-eyed Nikita, who has now stopped taking tuition-classes to take care of her child. The Patels spend at least Rs 5,000 every month on an average for her physiotherapy, etc. They have also spent around Rs 3 lakh on Bhavisha's surgeries.

Prone to convulsions, Bhavisha can't use her right hand that lies limply by her side and her head is abnormally large because of water retention. Her parents have struggled to get Bhavisha to say 'mama' and 'papa' — two of the 10-odd words she can manage.

No cure

Her doctor and paediatrician Dr Varsha Bhonsle said that while surgery has been found to control seizures, there is no cure for the syndrome. "However with physiotherapy, Bhavisha is now able to move her head a little, something that she couldn't do at all before," said Bhonsle.

This is why the Patels empathise with Bhayander couple Haresh and Niketa Mehta who are set to receive a verdict today on their own 25-week foetus, which has serious heart defects. "Like us, they are a middle class couple and want only one baby and a healthy one. Who wouldn't want a good life for their child?" asks Mitesh, who works at a packaging company. Keen to lend support to the couple, the Patels now have their fingers crossed for a verdict in favour of the couple.