Siva Matta's surviving family needs your help!
Donation protected
An untimely death leaving behind more questions than answers to deal with.
I am raising funds for my Cousin, Shanthi Priya, and her two young children, Arya (3-year-old daughter) and Maurya (5-year-old son), who lost her husband and the family's sole breadwinner to COVID-19 in the early hours of 28th April 2021.
Living so many miles away from the rest of my family in India, I have always dreaded (and still dread) the one phone call announcing someone's demise. I was mentally preparing myself for such news about my ailing grandmother. Still, I never in the wildest of my dreams thought the phone call on Tuesday evening would be about my cousin's husband, 38-year-old Siva Durga Rao Matta, who I was very close to.
Siva left this world after a helpless struggle with COVID-19 in its deadly second wave in India. The details of the efforts made by his friends to find him oxygen cylinders and a failed attempt to get a ventilator are worse than what we could ever imagine. He collapsed and bid farewell to this world while waiting in a private ambulance while his family, also hit with COVID-19, helplessly isolating at home.
Siva's untimely departure leaves behind his two tiny children and a young wife in this world that has undoubtedly not prepared the three of them for a life without their primary breadwinner. Our hearts go out to Arya and Maurya, who are too young to realize what has transpired and how their world has changed forever in just a few days.
Over the last week, I have had Siva's face constantly appear in front of my eyes every time I tried to look at my computer screen. The helplessness of the situation, the thoughts about the family's future, and the upbringing of the two kids have left me with more questions than answers to deal with.
My wife and I promised my cousin that we would do everything we can to help raise Arya and Maurya as our Children. We are also grateful for the outpour of support we have received from friends, near and far, to play a role in the future of the kids and their mother, Shanthi.
This crowdfunding effort will be the first of many vital steps we would take to do our best to fill in the irreplaceable void Siva left in the lives of his parents, siblings, tiny children, and his young wife. I hope you can support my cousin in this heart-wrenching episode of supreme personal loss that anyone could ever endure. We are ever grateful to you for any small little contribution you can make, as it will have a huge impact on Arya, Maurya, and Shanthi's future.
About Siva
Siva came from a very humble background, grew up in a small town called Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. He broke all socio-economic barriers and pursued his Engineering degree at NIT Tiruchirappalli, a prestigious engineering college in South India. He then worked with Tata Consultancy Services and served Motorola Corporation in Schaumburg, Illinois. He and my cousin were the only family I had here in the US until they decided to move back to India to support Siva's aging parents and help young Indians in the education space. Siva moved to Ahmedabad to be a part of an EdTech start-up. He brought to the start-up his intelligence, diligence, and sheer love for mathematics. As a math teacher, he taught several young students before the first wave of COVID-19 disrupted in-person education. His hard-earned savings invested in the start-up could not withstand the punitive slowdown that ensued. Despite Siva’s hardships with the start-up, I have profound respect for Siva to take the bold decision to leave the security of employment in the first world and return to India to help his immediate family.
I am raising funds for my Cousin, Shanthi Priya, and her two young children, Arya (3-year-old daughter) and Maurya (5-year-old son), who lost her husband and the family's sole breadwinner to COVID-19 in the early hours of 28th April 2021.
Living so many miles away from the rest of my family in India, I have always dreaded (and still dread) the one phone call announcing someone's demise. I was mentally preparing myself for such news about my ailing grandmother. Still, I never in the wildest of my dreams thought the phone call on Tuesday evening would be about my cousin's husband, 38-year-old Siva Durga Rao Matta, who I was very close to.
Siva left this world after a helpless struggle with COVID-19 in its deadly second wave in India. The details of the efforts made by his friends to find him oxygen cylinders and a failed attempt to get a ventilator are worse than what we could ever imagine. He collapsed and bid farewell to this world while waiting in a private ambulance while his family, also hit with COVID-19, helplessly isolating at home.
Siva's untimely departure leaves behind his two tiny children and a young wife in this world that has undoubtedly not prepared the three of them for a life without their primary breadwinner. Our hearts go out to Arya and Maurya, who are too young to realize what has transpired and how their world has changed forever in just a few days.
Over the last week, I have had Siva's face constantly appear in front of my eyes every time I tried to look at my computer screen. The helplessness of the situation, the thoughts about the family's future, and the upbringing of the two kids have left me with more questions than answers to deal with.
My wife and I promised my cousin that we would do everything we can to help raise Arya and Maurya as our Children. We are also grateful for the outpour of support we have received from friends, near and far, to play a role in the future of the kids and their mother, Shanthi.
This crowdfunding effort will be the first of many vital steps we would take to do our best to fill in the irreplaceable void Siva left in the lives of his parents, siblings, tiny children, and his young wife. I hope you can support my cousin in this heart-wrenching episode of supreme personal loss that anyone could ever endure. We are ever grateful to you for any small little contribution you can make, as it will have a huge impact on Arya, Maurya, and Shanthi's future.
About Siva
Siva came from a very humble background, grew up in a small town called Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. He broke all socio-economic barriers and pursued his Engineering degree at NIT Tiruchirappalli, a prestigious engineering college in South India. He then worked with Tata Consultancy Services and served Motorola Corporation in Schaumburg, Illinois. He and my cousin were the only family I had here in the US until they decided to move back to India to support Siva's aging parents and help young Indians in the education space. Siva moved to Ahmedabad to be a part of an EdTech start-up. He brought to the start-up his intelligence, diligence, and sheer love for mathematics. As a math teacher, he taught several young students before the first wave of COVID-19 disrupted in-person education. His hard-earned savings invested in the start-up could not withstand the punitive slowdown that ensued. Despite Siva’s hardships with the start-up, I have profound respect for Siva to take the bold decision to leave the security of employment in the first world and return to India to help his immediate family.
Organizer
Ravi Kyasaram
Organizer
Saint Louis, MO