KL Rahul donates Rs 31 lakh for budding cricketer’s treatment

PTI, Feb 23, 2022, 11:00 AM IST

New Delhi: India opener KL Rahul has come to the rescue of an 11-year-old budding cricketer in need of an urgent Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), donating Rs 31 lakh for the treatment of a rare blood disorder.

In December, Varad Nalawade’s father Sachin, an insurance agent, and mother Swapna Jha, started a campaign to raise Rs 35 lakh they needed to pay for their son’s treatment.

Rahul’s team got in touch with the organisation associated with the campaign as soon as they came to know about Varad.

Since last September, the fifth standard schoolboy had been under the care of haematologists in Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital after he was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare blood disorder.

Varad’s blood platelet levels were very low, making his immune system extremely susceptible to infections. Even a normal fever was taking months to be cured. A BMT was the only permanent cure for Varad’s condition.

Thanks to Rahul, Varad was operated upon and is now recuperating.

Speaking about the donation, Rahul said, “When I came to know about Varad’s condition, my team got in touch with GiveIndia so that we can help him in any way we could.

“I am glad that the surgery was successful, and he is doing well. I hope Varad gets back on his feet at the earliest and goes on to achieve his dreams. I hope my contribution inspires more and more people to come forward and help those in need.”