The Telugu community in New Zealand has rallied around the stressed family of a pregnant woman fighting cancer in Hamilton raising almost $9000 overnight.
The community is reaching out to the broader Kiwi-Indian community and beyond for generating financial resources to assist the embattled and stressed family.
A Givealittle page was started on Tuesday, August 29, for a 24-year old Indian woman Manaswini who was in the 25th week of her pregnancy when diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma (a form of cancer).
Suneel Kuncha of the New Zealand Telugu Association and Kalyan Kasuganti Rao of Telangana Association, who have been constantly in touch with The Indian Weekender that the community has raised almost $9000 overnight.
“We would like to appeal to the broader Kiwi-Indian community for its generous support,” Mr Kuncha said.
Manaswini Voora (Picture: Facebook)
When The Indian Weekender last checked on the Givealittle page, about $18,053 had been raised with the support of 206 generous donors.
The funds raised will be used to help the couple alleviate any financial stress so that they can focus on treatment and healing and the cost of flying their parents at this time of emotional distress.
Manaswini came to New Zealand from Hyderabad, India, 15 months ago with her husband Jay Krishna and lived in Hamilton.
Earlier in July when Manaswini was in her 20th week of pregnancy she experienced pain in her left leg and went through physiotherapy.
When the pain developed in her right leg too, the couple consulted the doctor who suspected it to be tuberculosis as she also started experiencing shortness in her breathing.
After a few checkups, the doctor at Waikato Hospital ruled out tuberculosis and confirmed that she is in the fourth stage of lung cancer.
Manaswini in her 25 weeks of pregnancy is now battling cancer in Waikato Hospital; the source of the tumour is still unknown and is rapidly spreading to different parts of her body.
Manaswini with her husband Jay Krishna (Picture: Facebook)
Manaswini’s husband Jay came to New Zealand six years ago, the couple got married in India in 2015, and both are on a resident visa here.
Manaswini’s mother has come to New Zealand to be with her daughter, and the visa process of her father and sister is in progress.
The funds can be donated on the Givealittle page: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/manaswinifightingadenocarcinoma