“I want to spend time with my kids but my current health condition doesn’t allow me to do so.” 45-year-old Aravin shared.

Aravin is a caring father of three children. His eldest daughter, aged 14, was from his wife’s first marriage and is currently attending secondary school. His two youngest son, aged 2 and 3, are mainly taken care by his wife who is a full-time caregiver to their three children. Unfortunately, due to Aravin’s medical condition, he is unable to spend a lot of time with his children.

Aravin suffers from Crohn’s disease since July 2019, an inflammation of his digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue and weight loss. He now lives together with his elderly mother who is caring for his everyday needs. There is currently no cure to Crohn’s disease. However, treatment can control or reduce the symptoms and help stop them from coming back. Hence, Aravin is on long term medication and is reliant on a walking stick to get around. He is also on a strict diet as advised by his doctors and mostly consumes protein energy milk. Aravin shared that it was best for him to move to his mother’s place as he does not want to cause more distress to his wife and children.

As Aravin is medically unfit for work and his wife is a full-time caregiver to the children, the family is not earning any stable income and is reliant on financial assistance by the government. However, the financial assistance is insufficient to cover the family’s living and medical expenses. Every now and then, his wife would sell baked goods to supplement the family’s household income.

Aravin mentioned that the best part of his day would be when his children would video call him in the evening to chat with him. Only being able to see his children through video call, Aravin shed a tear as he is unable be there with his children when they achieve new milestones. He misses his wife and children dearly and hopes to return home soon when his condition improves.

Ray of Hope would like to raise $3,040 ($760 x 4 months) to help Aravin with the following expenses:

1. Children’s Milk & Diapers: $600 per month
2. Aravin’s Protein Energy Milk: $160 per month

*Aravin is receiving financial assistance.