My husband was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in 2012 and a year later I was diagnosed with breast cancer. We have a daughter and a son, both teenagers. The past 3 years have been the most trying time of our lives.

My husband was employed as a marketing manager in a private company and our finances were enough. But the cancer treatment exhausted our savings. Though we took a loan and got financial help from his office too, by the time my husband’s surgery and chemotherapy was over, we were not left with much. Then within a year, he had a relapse. I sold my gold and we began chemotherapy, but soon the money ran out.

Had we not learnt about N K Dhabhar Cancer Foundation, we would have had to stop the treatment early on. The Foundation helped us keep the medical expenses low and within our reach. My husband lost his battle to the disease, leaving me to support the family. In 2015, my husband lost his battle with cancer leaving us to fend for ourselves. NKDCF helped us by putting us in touch with other NGOs. They provided us the guidance and support without which my family would not have weathered these hard times.

Today, I get help from NGOs to fund my children’s education, and my Herceptin treatment. I don’t have a job, I would not have survived and my children would have been orphaned had NKDCF not helped us.