Gujarat family raises Rs. 16 crore through crowdfunding on ImpactGuru.com to cover child’s Zolgensma Therapy

Baby Dhairyarajsinh

ImpactGuru.com, India's leading healthcare financing platform for patients, has successfully raised Rs. 16 crore to cover the cost of the World's Most Expensive Drug, Zolgensma, for Baby Dhairyarajsinh diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1. Commercially, Zolgensma, a one-time gene replacement therapy, is available in the USA for approximately USD $2.1 million (INR 16 crores). This is the First Fundraiser launched on an Indian crowdfunding platform that raised the entire Rs.16 crore record amount for a SMA Type 1 patient.

SMA Type 1 is a rare genetic disease that attacks the baby's nerves and muscles, and as it progresses, makes it extremely difficult for the child to carry out basic activities like sit up, lift their head, swallow milk, and even breathe. SMA is currently the leading genetic cause of infant death worldwide, and it affects 1 in 10,000 babies.

In February 2021, Baby Dhairyarajsinh's parents Jinal Chavada and Rajdipsinh Rathod took to crowdfunding on ImpactGuru.com to cover the cost of Zolgensma therapy as their 3-month-old son Dhairyarajsinh is diagnosed with SMA Type 1. Rajdipsinh works as a System Engineer at G.E.P.L Toll Plaza, Bathwada, Gujarat whereas Jinal is a homemaker. The family is based at Godhra, Gujarat.

In a heartfelt appeal, Dhairyarajsinh's father Rajdipsinh Rathod mentioned on his ImpactGuru fundraiser, "The only way our child can survive is if we import Zolgensma. Even if I sell everything that I own, I will not be able to accumulate Rs. 16 crore. In these toughest, hardest and emotionally traumatic times, I request you to please contribute on our ImpactGuru fundraiser page (https://www.impactguru.com/fundraiser/help-dhairyarajsinh-rajdipsinh-rathod). Any humble donation/help will be a big support to us."

Khushboo Jain, Co-Founder and COO, ImpactGuru.com said, "In 40 days, Baby Dhairyarajsinh's ImpactGuru fundraiser raised Rs. 16 crore, cumulatively contributed from over 2.64 lakh donors. The speed of donations on Baby Dhairyarajsinh's ImpactGuru fundraiser was at 1 donation per second. The highest donation in INR is 20 lakh. This fundraiser has made history in India's medical crowdfunding industry.

It is heartening to witness the power of crowdfunding, a large number of donors that came together to support Baby Dhairyarajsinh's family in their journey of saving their child. We hope more families come forward to utilize our healthcare financing platform in their time of need to get the best available treatment for critical illnesses."

Crowdfunding is an alternative method of raising funds online for medical expenses, with the patient (or his/her friends or family) primarily relying on social media networks to mobilize donors to finance the relevant medical bills.

ImpactGuru.com is India's leading healthcare financing platform for patients and raises money online for medical expenses via online crowdfunding such as Covid-19, cancer, transplants, and accidents. It aggregates a large number of online payments to allow any individual requiring financial assistance to raise funds for any social cause.