My Mother is Dying, and We Are Running Out of Time.
Please Help Us Save Her
I am Rigan . I never thought I’d have to write something like this. But here I am, shaking hands, asking the world for help. Not because I want to, but because I have no other choice left.
Our mother, the very spirit of our home, is participating in the battle for her life. And right now, she is slowly slipping away.
A photo of our small family a few years ago. I can't remember how many days it has been since I saw her smile one time.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, with my father being the sole breadwinner, he fell sick with the virus and was gravely ill. More than half of his lungs became dysfunctional. Though he survived, he lost his job and could never return to work. Since then, we have been scraping through somehow.
In the end, in late 2023, my mother began complaining of severe abdominal pain, and was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer. We were completely shattered.
She underwent 24 cycles of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries. Each session was a war against fate. But she fought through them like a valiant warrior. We exhausted all our savings, everything we had. And at the same time, my father had a bus accident and needed over 20 stitches. All the while, Ma's condition worsened. Her heart was weakening, fluids gathered in her lungs, and she was having trouble breathing without oxygen.
I felt helpless looking at her gasp for air.
Now in its more aggressive form, the cancer has made a return. Another six cycles of chemotherapy, then targeted therapies such as the PARP inhibitors or Bevacizumab, are her only choices. Around $50,000 is the estimated total for the treatment.
We sold everything we had: land, jewelry, and all our savings. All we now have is hope.
She still wants to live. She wants to sit at the dinner table, laugh with her children, and feel the sun on her skin again.
If you are able to help by donating, sharing, or connecting us to organizations that help with cancer, it would mean the world. Every single contribution will go directly to her treatment.
Please help us save her.
How You Can Help Us
If you’ve read our story, thank you, it means the world to us. Right now, we are fighting the hardest battle of our lives to keep our mother alive, and we can’t do it without your support.
Every single contribution, no matter how small, will go directly towards her cancer treatment, hospital bills, and medications that could give her a second chance at life.
If anyone wants to reach out:
A small note from the organiser (Sakib) -
I have known Rigan for almost ten years now, almost through happenstance. Rigan and my cousin, who is a few years younger than me, went through the same school for a short period of time. I have known quite a few of my cousin's friends, but what caught me about Rigan was how cracked he was compared to his peers. I have never heard anything but good things about Rigan and his older brother Mark, both absolute academic weapons.
Growing up in Bangladesh often feels like a lottery. The opportunities you get access to are largely determined by the wealth and status of the family you were born into. It takes incredible determination and hard work to break through the societal and economic barriers that exist there. And even then, it can only take you so far without luck.
Watching Mark and Rigan navigate these same challenges often reminds me of my younger self. And now, on top of everything else they've been fighting through, their mother has been diagnosed with a serious form of cancer. The family has exhausted all their resources trying to get her a real chance at recovery, including selling their land. Please consider donating, as even a few dollars would go very far in Bangladesh and help in their fight against cancer.
Organiser
