Family seeks support for daughter’s treatment

A LAUTOKA family is seeking public support to help send their daughter abroad for an urgent brain tumour operation.

Inside the Pillay family home at Field 40 in Lautoka is Sumindra Devi, 48, who is recovering from an operation, and her daughter Mahima Pillay, 24, who’s battling a brain tumour.

The family has been told they need about $A60,000 ($F92,171) to have Ms Mahima treated in Melbourne, Australia.

“It has been a struggle for my family,” said an emotional Ms Devi from her sick bed.

“My daughter’s tumour was detected around the same time I had my surgery in February, and since then life has been a battle for my family.

“We need financial assistance to help send my daughter to Melbourne to have her tumour removed.”

Ms Devi said her husband left work three months ago to take care of both of them, and they had also requested their younger daughter to return home to help take care of her sick family members.

Ms Mahima graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science in December last year and had just started working for a Nadi company when tragedy hit.

This forced her father, Mr Pillay, to seek a permit from the Commissioner Western’s office to conduct fundraisers for Ms Mahima.

“Any form of monetary assistance will help us send our daughter abroad,” he said.

“This is our plea. We have seen enough of her suffering these past few months and we hope she will get treated as she is a very bright young woman with a bright future ahead of her.

“We do understand that many of us have just recovered and some are still recovering. This is a humble plea from my family, so we can have my daughter saved from this sickness.”

Ms Devi said it hurt them every day to witness the battle her daughter went through daily.

The family was recently assisted with food rations by the Foundation for the Rural Integrated Enterprises and Lautoka philanthropist Allen Lockington.