Crowdfunding raises over Rs 26 lakh for youth's treatment

Over Rs 26.31 lakh raised through crowdfunding for New Delhi-basesd 26-year-old Nikita Sachdeva, who is suffering from Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

Nikita's mother, a single parent, works as a teacher and is the only earning member of the family.

Aware of the hospital expenses, Nikita's sister Ishita Sachdeva took ImpactGuru.com -- a crowdfunding company -- to raise funds for her sister's treatment.

Nikita requires a higher dose of chemotherapy (Line 2), a stem cell transplant and a probable radiation therapy, which costs around Rs 75 lakh.

"Healthcare crowdfunding is an alternative method of raising funds online for medical expenses, with the patient primarily relying on social media networks to mobilise donors to finance the relevant medical bills," said Piyush Jain, Co-Founder and CEO, ImpactGuru.com.

The additional advantage of crowdfunding is that patients do not have to repay that money back to the funders as the money provided online is a donation and not a loan. As in the case of Nikita, ImpactGuru is pleased to serve as a financing solution in her time of medical need," Jain added.

In a span of two weeks, 448 donors have cumulatively contributed over Rs 26.31 lakh through crowdfunding for Nikita's treatment.

She is currently undergoing treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre in Delhi.IANS