Rs 60 lakh in 60 hrs: Investing community rallies to raise funds for a peer's lung transplant

When the bank account was frozen, the donors were undeterred and started making their contributions via a fund-raising platform.

This year started with a heartwarming coming together of investors for a peer. They raised a significant amount of funds for Amit Anam, who needed help for a lung transplant.

A widespread sharing of social-media posts resulted in the raising of Rs 60 lakh within three days, through a fund-raising platform and through direct transfers to his bank account.

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Anam has thanked people for their supported through his Twitter handle: "Thank you for the incredible support to my campaign." There is also a link to avail tax benefits for contributions made.

Medical emergency

According to a note shared by Dr DY Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, located in Pune, Anam had Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) with respiratory failure and he was on oxygen support. After being evaluated by the medical çollege's team, he was recommended a bilateral lung transplantation.

It would cost the family Rs 60 lakh, including Rs 25 lakhs for post-operative hospital stay and care, and the procedure had to be done fast.

Moneycontrol spoke to the doctor treating Anam to better understand the urgency of the situation.

"Amit Anam is suffering from interstitial lung disease which made him bed bound and oxygen support dependent for last 2 years and was evaluated for lung transplant a year ago. His family had been trying to arrange for the funds for a while now. Since his condition was worsening, they decided to do a fund-raise. He is vulnerable to developing pulmonary infections or any other life thretening pulmonary complications, and if that happens, then the condition might deteriorate further and can be even difficult to undergo transplant so lung transplant should be done as soon as possible before any untoward complication happens," Dr Rahul Kendre, pulmonologist and lung-transplant physician at Dr DY Patil Hospital, told Moneycontrol.

After the appeal was posted, the investing community started sharing it widely and social-media handles were sharing updates every hour.

On January 2, the goal was met.

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The finish line

Veteran investor Safir Anand, who had shared the appeal, tweeted after the target was met: "Well done X community."

Anand was retweeting a post by Dr Prashant Mishra who had led the fund-raising effort and who had shared an update that lauded the "power of social media".

The fund raising was not without hitches.

When a flood of donations started going to the bank account that was shared, the private bank froze the account concerned about the sudden inflow of money.

Ayush Agrawal, who was one of the organisers for the fund raising, said that people even made donations of Rs 27,000 at one go.

When the bank account was frozen, the donors were undeterred and started making their contributions via a fund-raising platform.

Agrawal pointed out how people who are otherwise on warring sides, as registered and unregistered advisors/finfluencers, came together for this cause.

"While there reports of trolling and scamming that keep coming out, this one was on a collective effort to do good," said Agrawal.