Mumbai teen chooses to help cancer-afflicted toddler over Varun Dhawan

Alaiha Vanjara 13 a student of Mahims Bombay Scottish had saved up Rs 10000 from her pocket money to paint her room in a Varun Dhawan her favourite actor theme But she let that dream go when she heard of the plight of a twoyearold who lived not very far from her home In September Alaiha resident of a highrise at Napean Sea Road heard from her mother that Veer Pawar who lives in a slum nearby was suffering from lung cancer and his family needed to raise nearly Rs 4 lakh urgently for his treatmentAlaiha VanjaraHushna Vanjara Alaihas mother says When I saw the Facebook post I showed it to her and she became concerned We immediately contacted the hospital which confirmed its authenticity Then we circulated a message seeking funds and soon help started coming inA fathers fight Veers father Balraj is a taxi driver A resident of Parvati Nagar he says he lost his first child within 15 days of delivery So when Veer fell ill I wanted to do all I could to ensure that I dont lose himAlso read Touching Groom spends last days raising money for wifes ailing daughterVeer PawarHe adds that Veer would repeatedly have high fever which would return every 15 days When visits to private clinics didnt produce lasting results Balraj took his son to Mahalaxmis NH SRCC Childrens Hospital where in August this year he was diagnosed with lung cancer Treatment which would include chemotherapy and surgery would cost them Rs 56 lakh which Balraj couldnt afford I had only Rs 30000 in savings and I took loans from friends and my boss he says This amounted to a total of Rs 19 lakhRupesh R Choubey facility director of the hospital says that rules state that the hospital admits patients even if they dont have the cash to pay the bills immediately However the hospitals Corporate Social Responsibility Team decided to help raise funds for the twoyearolds treatment after connecting with NGOs and Milaap a crowdfunding site Thats how Alaiha got to know of Veers case he addsAlaiha Vanjara with her parents Hushna and Omar PicSneha KharabeThe followthroughHushna says Alaiha called up her parents friends and even connected with her schools viceprincipal for help People sent us the money by post and some even came home to give us cash the proud mother says Not everyone loosened their purse strings though Some made false promises while others ignored us But my daughter didnt give up she adds The Varun Dhawan fan had planned to have her room painted and covered with his pictures and posters But when I learnt about the child I thought of spending my money on something more meaningful she adds With donations from 40 people her total collections come to Rs 123 lakh within just a weekVeer Pawar with his parentsMeeting VeerVeer has been in the hospital for a month now He has been through a series of chemotherapy sessions and the hospital says he has responded well In fact he wont require surgery either Two weeks ago Alaiha and her mother went to the hospital to meet Veer and even played with him Yet the boys family hasnt been told that the role that the girl played in helping themAt the hospital the teenager was felicitated for her gesture Choubey says that a 13yearold working this hard is a rarity If we get more youths like this many lives can be savedAlso view Pallavi Purkayastha murder All you need to know about the gruesome crime