Udupi: College mates collect Rs 8 lakh for treatment B.Com girl

Udupi, Mar 21: Students of Dr. G. Shankar Government First Grade College have managed to collect nearly Rs 8 lakh through public donations for the treatment of their 19-year-old college mate Geeta who is suffering from sickle-cell anaemia.

The total number of money collected has gone up to Rs. 10 lakh, which includes Rs. 7.07 lakh collected by college students, Rs. 1 lakh from Dr. G. Shankar Family Trust, Rs. 36,000 from LIC of India, and Rs. 1.76 lakh credited by donors directly into Ms. Geeta's bank account.

Ms. Geeta, a first year B.Com student, had on March 9 made a public appeal for donations for advanced treatment of her health condition. It was then that her college mates decided to go on a house-to-house campaign in entire city and raise money through donations.

Ms. Geeta got 85 per cent marks in II PU and 72 per cent marks in first semester exam of first B.Com. She comes from a poor family.

Her mother, Sheela, works as a domestic help and is the earning member of the family for the last 12 years. Ms. Geeta is her only child. Her father, who went to some other place for work when Ms. Geeta was young, never returned. But Ms. Sheela now suffers from hypertension and age-related problems.

Ms. Geeta is receiving treatment at Dr. T.M.A. Pai Hospital here. Ms. Sheela was spending Rs. 5,000 a month for her treatment. But doctors had advised her to get advanced treatment of bone marrow transplantation at Christian Medical College, Vellore. The treatment will cost Rs. 15 lakh.

At a function held at the District Stadium here on Saturday, Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, handed over the amount collected through donations to Ms. Geeta. Bhavya, college union leader, who played a vital role in collecting the donation, was also felicitated on the occasion.

Mr. Madhwaraj said that the students of the college besides pursuing academic education had taken up a humanitarian cause and had become models for the society. “I will try to get the maximum possible help from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund,” he said.

G. Shankar, patron of the college, said that though his trust was ready to pay another Rs. 2 lakh if it was needed for Ms. Geeta's treatment.

Ms. Sheela became emotional at the function and was seen wiping her tears.

Vishu Shetty Ambalpady, social worker, Jagadish Rao, college principal, Roshan Kumar Shetty, college physical director, were present.

For those interested in donating, Ms. Geeta's account number is: 01102210093646 (IFSC code: SYNB 0000110), Syndicate Bank, Catholic Centre branch, Udupi.