Rs 16-crore crowdfunding saves life of ailing Tamil Nadu toddler

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Two-year-old Bharathi from Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district on December 11 got a 16-crore drug imported through crowdfunding at a Bengaluru hospital, The Times of India reported. Bharathi is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder.

Baptist Hospital's doctors administered Zolgensma to Bharathi. "We got six vials of Zolgensma, imported through a dealer in in London, on Thursday. The doctors administered all the vials in an hour," TOI quoted Bharathi's mother K Ezhilarasi as saying.

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Bharathi's parents -- R Jagadeesh and Ezhilarasi -- are both bank employees from Nanjikottai. Earlier in August, Bharathi was diagnosed with the genetic disorder by doctors at Vellore's Christian Medical College.

In this disease, a patient loses the ability to stand up or walk. Following doctor's advice to arrange the medicine before Bharathi turns two, her parents turned to social media for help.

Citing the severity of the case, Thanjavur collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver opened a back account on behalf of the district administration in the name of 'Support Bharthi'. Soon, south Indian cinestar Vijay Sethupathi gave Rs 20 lakh and Tenkasi Aakash Friends IAS academy Rs 25 lakh. By November 19, after certain hiccups in crowdfunding, the amount was arranged. After the dose, Bharathi will be monitored at the hospital for three months.