DEMAND FOR HELP FOR PAYEL BHATTACHARYA

Life could not have been more cruel to Payel Bhattacharya, a patient of Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), a rare autosomal genetic condition that predisposes individuals to benign and malignant tumours. The 34-year-old, who has already undergone nine surgeries, is still suffering as the tumors continue to spread in her body-and the medical costs spiral.Bhattacharya, who has three tumors in her brain and several others in her pancreas, has now turned partially blind as the tumours have spread over her eyes.Bhattacharya, who lives with her widowed mother at Hauz Rani, an urban village in south Delhi, is being supported by her Mumbai-based brother. But her brother's earnings too are becoming insufficient for her treatment, with her condition deteriorating day by day.Calling VHL one of the least known diseases among people across the globe Gupta said, "Payel needs support-both mental and humanitarian-which will help her gain the will to live."The non-existence of charitable groups and NGOs working for the cause has made any research so far untested. People need to understand that such patients need help so that they can live life like others,"Payel's mother, Mrs Banani Bhattacharya, has appealed for financial assistance for her daughter, who can be reached at 0091-9711197537.