A race against time: Parents plead for help to save son from rare genetic disease

New Delhi: A doctor couple from Gurugram is reaching out to the public to save their 13-year-old son, Garv, from the crippling grip of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease that until recently had no cure. 

Now, a groundbreaking one-time treatment offers hope—but it comes with a staggering price tag of Rs 28 crore, far beyond the reach of most families, even those with means.

Garv’s parents, Dr. Madhu, a Haryana government employee, and her husband Dr. Vivek Garg, an eye specialist at Max Hospital Gurugram, have already scraped together Rs 12 crore through personal efforts and sacrifices. 

With the therapy scheduled for March 2025, they are now turning to the generosity of strangers, corporations, and anyone willing to lend a hand to bridge the Rs 16 crore gap. 

“Everybody deserves a second chance,” Dr. Madhu said in an emotional appeal with urgency. “We’ve come so far, but we can’t do this alone. Please help us save our son.”

DMD is a merciless condition that progressively weakens muscles, often confining patients to wheelchairs by their teens and leading to life-threatening complications by early adulthood. 

For years, families like Garv’s faced a bleak prognosis with no effective treatment. But recent medical advancements offer a single-dose therapy that could halt the disease’s devastating march. 

The catch? Its astronomical cost places it out of reach for all but the wealthiest—or those with extraordinary community support.

The couple’s plight is compounded by their struggle to secure advance for treatment at AIIMS, Delhi, which is their right as a Haryana government employee under the already in-implementation State Government Health Scheme. 

Despite approaching the Saini-led Haryana government and repeatedly pleading in front of DGHS, Haryana, ACS Health, ACS Finance and CS Haryana, their pleas have gone unanswered. 

Sources indicate that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has been apprised of the situation, yet no assistance has materialised, leaving the family to fend for themselves in this critical hour.

Dr. Madhu, reachable at 9999498265, has stressed that CSR funds are legally permissible for this cause, opening a potential lifeline through corporate contributions.

The parents’ determination shines through their exhaustion. Having raised Rs 12 crore independently, they’ve scheduled the treatment in a desperate bid to outpace the disease’s progression.

Visit the crowdsourcing platform URL in case you feel like supporting the cause: https://www.impactguru.com/fundraiser/help-to-garv-garg