Give India Helps 19-Year-Old Weightlifting Champion With Heart Damage Get New Lease of Life

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Bangalore, January 22, 2021: When teenage weightlifting champion Shubham Agarwal suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital, his family was shattered. But refusing to give up on his son, his father, a small mobile recharge shop owner, rushed him to Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai where he was put on ventilator support and had to undergo bypass surgery at the earliest.

Diagnosed with 80 per cent heart damage only a heart transplant could save this 19-year-old. With very little family income and no savings to fall back on, Shubham’s parents, with the help of GiveIndia, a Bengaluru-based nonprofit donation platform, started a fundraising campaign to shore up the estimated Rs 80 Lakhs required to cover all costs.

GiveIndia initiated the fundraiser on December 10, 2020. With the support of more than 5,000 donors, Shubham’s parents were able to raise Rs 58 Lakhs. To the huge relief of his parents, Krishna and Archana Agarwal, and the doctors, Shubham has started the new year with a new heart and a fresh lease of life. But he continues to be under observation in intensive care, where he has been since November 2, 2020. His parents further need Rs 23 Lakhs more for end-to-end care.

“Banking on a culture of generosity, crowdfunding helps people in need of funds raise money for their specific cause from thousands of willing donors, in a hassle-free manner, without entailing any payback liability. Shubham’s story is heart-warming, and we hope he recovers soon,” said Priyanka Prakash, Director, Head of Online Giving, Marketing and Partnerships at GiveIndia. She further added, “As more financially distressed patients come forward to utilise the GiveIndia platform, we hope to play our part in making healthcare in India more accessible.”