Help Archita and Her Mom Rebuild Their Lives

Hey Everyone! My name is Tehseen and I publish an online magazine called Tasavvur. Archita has been a writer and editor for Tasavvur since 2022, and when I learnt of her circumstances, I offered to help her set this GoFundMe Campaign.

In all my interactions with Archita, I have found her to be a very kind-hearted and sincere person; a very talented individual, who has fallen upon some dire circumstances, that I am hoping we all, collectively, can get her out of.

Below is Archita's message:

Hello, my name is Archita Mittra, an author and editor from Kolkata (India) and I am the sole earner in my family. An unfortunate series of events, including my father’s death from cancer, have put a huge strain on our finances, and I’m in dire need of money to support my mother (who is currently hospitalized) and myself. I freelance full-time but sadly it doesn’t pay enough and I’m looking to raise around 15 lakhs INR (~17,000 USD). Despite being hesitant, I’ve no choice but to ask for help as this is a question of survival–and I desperately hope this fundraiser will help rebuild our lives.

Our troubles began in May 2025 when my father (despite being relatively healthy) developed severe fatigue and insomnia overnight, his condition exacerbated by the loud construction noises going on outside our house 24/7. After several tests, we learned that he had suffered an ischaemic stroke that affected both hemispheres of the brain, along with severe blood loss (6 Hb); he was immediately hospitalized. Following several blood transfusions, he made a miraculous recovery and was discharged with a diagnosis of anaemia and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). My mother and I did everything in our power to nurse him back to health but my father’s insomnia and fatigue did not get better, though he still continued to help out in the house.

A month later, after doing the recommended follow-up tests, we found that he had again lost blood (5.6 Hb). Changing doctors, we admitted him under emergency to a more specialised hospital, where they administered more blood transfusions, expensive iron injections and ran several tests. It was during these tests that they found a tumour and started suspecting cancer. A follow-up CECT scan of the abdomen confirmed our worst fears.

When I heard the news, I felt like my world had ended.

Against all odds, my father’s condition somehow stabilized and he was referred to a reputed cancer institute for further treatment. However, getting an appointment there was difficult, as we were still waiting on the biopsy results. During this time, we liquidated several of our assets and investments, selling off furniture, jewellery, heirlooms, and our car even as I took on more and more work, to gather enough funds for cancer treatment and started considering a fundraiser for the first time. But I was too proud to ask for help, still hopeful that things would get better and ignorant of how ridiculously expensive medical treatment can get.

A week later, my father started vomiting blood. We couldn’t find an ambulance, so my mother, a friend and I carried him to a cab and it took us three hours–with my father vomiting blood throughout–to reach the cancer institute. We finally managed to admit him to their emergency unit that night itself, from where he was shifted to the ICU. By now, the expenses had climbed astronomically and I was paying roughly 1 lakh a day (1140 USD) to keep him alive in the ICU.

At the cancer institute, we finally learned that he was suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer––a rare, hard-to-diagnose and extremely aggressive form of cancer. Nevertheless, the doctors were initially able to stabilize him and my father underwent a successful duodenal stent via endoscopy that cost 1.2 lakhs (~1400 USD) so that he could begin eating again and prepare for chemo. However, his long stay in the ICU, frequent shifting of the wards, and rising oxygen needs led to further complications. Yet, my father was fully lucid throughout the ordeal, begging us to “bring” him home.

I tried to get him discharged and was making oxygen arrangements at home, but the staff did not cooperate. Instead, they handed us higher and higher bills to pay, delayed in giving him oxygen and replenishing his antibiotics, and even refused to give him food when he was hungry. My mother’s health had also worsened in the last few months, and eventually I had to stop eating or going to the bathroom and drink only ORS, so I could be by my father’s side 24/7 and monitor his oxygen levels, because there was no one else to do it.

However, on the night of 16th July, I had to come home as my mother was severely ill, and two hours later, we received a call that my father had passed away. Whether there was medical negligence or something seriously went wrong in those two hours I wasn’t there, I’ll never know.

All I know is that I’ll be forever haunted by guilt, even as I try to rebuild my life and get proper medical treatment for my mother and me. Even before we took him to the cancer institute, the medical bills at the previous two hospitals plus the various diagnostic tests had already put a significant strain on our funds, especially since we didn’t have any insurance. Even so, I was still prepared to give up everything if it meant saving my father’s life.

But now, I have emptied out my savings, my mother and I are both sick, we have further expenses and my father is dead. It pains me to even admit this, but I need help. The bills, which include medicines, hospital stays, regular tests as well as the recent procedure and additional expenses, have surmounted to over 7 lakhs (7,00,000 INR or ~ 8000 USD) and I need help covering these expenses. There is of course no obligation, but if you can pitch in, in any way, I would really appreciate it.

We had never, not even in our worst nightmares, anticipated such a tragedy. But my troubles don't end there.

We’ve had several added crises. The excessive rainfall, inclement weather and recent flooding had damaged a part of the ceiling and walls of our old home. In fact, a portion of the ceiling collapsed in the middle of the night, necessitating another huge expense immediately after my father’s passing.

Once the heavy rains stop, we have to undertake more extensive repair work, along with electrical and plumbing modifications, and invest in legal counsel regarding issues of personal safety.

The events of the last few months have taken an enormous toll on our physical and mental health. I have certain auto-immune issues and invisible disabilities including debilitating dysmenorrhea and ADHD-like symptoms but I can neither afford medication nor seek therapy for my trauma. We’ve cut corners wherever possible, even limiting food intake to save money and I’m freelancing with aching wrists to keep some money coming in, but it’s not enough.

Following my father’s death, my mother’s precarious health deteriorated further. She has had nine surgeries in the past, struggles with multiple chronic health conditions and is presently in hospital. The doctors do not have a diagnosis yet, but are running several tests. She requires more specialized care that I’m trying to arrange while single-handedly managing the legal and financial issues and overseeing the home repairs.

At this moment, I don’t know what the future has in store for me. For now, I just want some sense of stability–for my mother to get better, to be able to afford the basic necessities of food, water, shelter and transport, access proper healthcare, and cherish the happy memories of my father and grandparents, lost too soon.

This is a breakdown of my expenses and current needs:

A total of 15 lakhs INR (~17000 USD).

I don't know if I'll be able to recover all these lost expenses, but this is my only hope of rebuilding my life. Any amount you can spare would go towards keeping us alive. No donation is too small—even a tiny bit of your kindness can make a huge difference to my life.

If you know any organizations or grants that could help me, please let me know. If anyone requires any writing, editing, sensitivity reading or English tutoring services, please consider hiring me. If you know of any low-cost insurance options for senior citizens in India, do get in touch. If you’re unable to help financially, please share my story widely—and send your good wishes and prayers.

Every act of kindness and support counts.