“My name is Shubham Balu Gunjal. I became a father just 21 days ago. Instead of celebrating her arrival, I am watching my tiny daughter fight for every breath inside the NICU at Namco Hospital, Nashik.

She was born extremely premature… weighing just 900 grams. Smaller than my palm. So fragile that even touching her feels like I might hurt her.

Doctors told us she is battling Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Pneumonia, and Sepsis. Words I had never heard before suddenly became the center of my world.

Every day in the NICU is a battle. Machines breathe for her. Tubes surround her. And I stand outside, helpless, praying that she keeps fighting.

The estimated cost of her treatment is ₹2,00,000. For some, it may be a number. For me, it is the difference between bringing my daughter home… or losing her before I even got to hear her call me “Papa.”

As a father, I am ready to do anything. But today, I cannot do this alone.

I am not asking for sympathy. I am asking for a chance. A chance for my daughter to live, to grow, to run into my arms one day.”

With folded hands and a heart full of hope,
Shubham, father of a 21-days-old premature baby