The Indian opener, KL Rahul has come forward in support of an 11-year-old budding cricketer needing an urgent bone marrow transplant (BMT) to treat a rare blood disorder. Rahul went on to make a generous of ₹31 lakhs of the ₹35 lakh required for the procedure. 

In December, Varad’s parents Sachin Nalawade, an insurance agent, and homemaker Swapna Jha started a fundraising campaign on GiveIndia to raise ₹35 lakh they needed to pay for their son’s treatment. Rahul’s team got in touch with GiveIndia as soon as they came to know about Varad and the fundraiser.

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Since September, the fifth standard schoolboy had been under the care of hematologists in Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital after he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, which is one of the rarest blood disorders. Varad’s blood platelet levels were very low, making his immune system extremely susceptible to infections. Even if suffered from a normal fever, it take months for him to be cured. A bone marrow transplant was the only permanent cure for Varad’s condition.

The middle-class family had run out of funds, with his father even liquidating his provident fund savings to pay for Varad’s mounting medical bills to keep his son’s dreams of becoming a cricketer alive. He also bought his son a fancy cricket bat for his 11th birthday to cheer up Varad and give the aspiring young batsman some hope.

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Speaking about the donation, KL  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.”