Bhakti Chalak/Pune

Muslims of Wagholi area of the city joined in Sandeep Jadhav and his wife's daunting battle to save their 14-month-old child, who suffers from a rare disorder requiring expensive treatment. They not just offered prayers for the child's, Gargi Jadhav, but also raised donations for her treatment.

Gargi is fighting a rare disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA Type 1). Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a rare genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and body wasting. It damages nerve cells in the spinal cord, called motor neurons, which control our voluntary muscles.

As soon as the news of Gargi's battle with SMA spread, the Muslim community in Wagholi immediately extended a helping hand.

The Wagholi Muslim Welfare Association and the trustees of the Jama Masjid took the initiative to save the life of this little girl. During the Friday congregational prayers, the Imam appealed to provide financial assistance for Gargi's treatment and to pray for her long life.

Speaking to Awaz-The-Voice about this social commitment, Jama Masjid Chairman Jaan Mohammad Pathan, who is a former Assistant Commissioner of Police, shared, "Our organisation has been working for many years without any consideration of caste or religion. Whether it is helping needy students or donating blood, we are always at the forefront."

He added, "Upon learning about Gargi's illness, we felt that saving the life of an innocent child is the true duty of a human being. It was with this sense of duty that we took the initiative. We appealed to every brother coming for the Jumma prayers to help and to pray to Allah for Gargi."

He said, "With the cooperation of all our brothers, we have collected Rs 35,000 and played a small role in Gargi’s treatment."

Gargi is the only daughter of Sandeep Jadhav, originally from Ahilyanagar and currently residing in the IV Estate area of Wagholi in Pune. According to doctors, a crucial gene is missing from the child’s body. Because of this, the essential protein required for bodily movements is not produced.

As a result, the baby's physical movements stop completely; she cannot hold her neck up, and all muscles become lifeless.

Seeing Gargi's condition, her parents immediately contacted Dr Neelu Desai, a renowned doctor at Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital. Dr Desai advised administering an extremely expensive injection called Zolgensma, one shot of which costs a staggering Rs 10 Crore.

Raising such an astronomical amount is impossible for any ordinary family. Therefore, the Jadhav family started raising money through crowdfunding. With the support of donors, a fund of Rs 5.5 Crore has been collected so far. The family is still struggling day and night to raise the remaining Rs 4.5 Crore.

Witnessing the prayers offered and the financial help provided by the Muslims who gathered at the mosque for Gargi, her father Sandeep Jadhav became emotional while speaking to Awaz-The-Voice.

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He said, "I saw that video from Wagholi's Jama Masjid in the morning, and my heart was full. I sincerely thank all the Muslim brothers at the mosque from the bottom of my heart. If every temple, mosque, or church in Maharashtra extends a helping hand like this, it would be a massive help for my daughter."

On one hand, while citizens are distressed by the exorbitant costs of medical treatments and the flaws in government policies, this kind of mutual support where ordinary people come together to help each other is the true backbone of society.