This story is from September 16, 2019

Girl fighting cancer falls off crowded train in Mumbai, dies

Nothing, not even chemotherapy, could dampen her spirit. Four-year-old Neha Dhage popped pills and sat through needle pricks with the only hope of getting rid of cancer and moving back to her hometown in Vidarbha with her family. On September 10, her parents did move back home, but heartbroken and bitter. Neha had fallen off a crowded train at Chembur station and succumbed to injuries in a hospital.
Girl fighting cancer falls off crowded train in Mumbai, dies
Representative image
MUMBAI: Nothing, not even chemotherapy, could dampen her spirit. Four-year-old Neha Dhage popped pills and sat through needle pricks with the only hope of getting rid of cancer and moving back to her hometown in Vidarbha with her family. On September 10, her parents did move back home, but heartbroken and bitter. Neha had fallen off a train at Chembur station and succumbed to injuries in a hospital.
“During the five months that we lived in Mumbai for her treatment, Neha had started doing much better.
She was walking around, eating on her own and playing—simple tasks that she was unable to perform earlier,” her father, Shrivnandan, said.
Neha hailed from Washim district in Vidarbha and has two siblings aged 6 and 1. Her father is a daily wage worker. When she complained of severe pain in her legs and stomach earlier this year and local hospitals couldn’t diagnose her condition, Neha was referred to KEM Hospital in Parel. Tests showed she had a tumour.
Patient’s family found train cheaper than Monorail
On April 14, she was registered at the Tata Memorial Hospital with High Risk Neuroblastoma, an extracranial solid tumour in children.
Doctors said the cancer had spread from the primary tumour to other parts of the body. “She was administered chemotherapy which she tolerated well,” said a doctor.
Neha’s family was staying on the streets till an NGO offered them accommodation at Chembur. “We would take the Monorail from Chembur to Ambedkar Nagar station. Neha was required to take two injections with a gap of 12 hours. We would have to camp at the hospital all day for the injections and would return home only late at night,” said Shrivnandan.

But Monorail tickets were too expensive and the family started looking for cheaper modes of transport. “Someone suggested we switch to local trains. We started taking a train from Chembur, alight at Sewri and then hail a taxi to the Tata Hospital. For 10 days, I accompanied my wife and daughter in the train and showed them which coach to get in and where to get off. On September 7, I left for Washim to borrow some money,” said Shrivnandan. That was the last time he spoke to Neha.
At 8.30am, Neha’s mother carried her and tried to enter into the local. They had already let two trains go and were getting late to visit the hospital. The train started moving even as the duo was only halfway through the door. They landed on the platform with a thud. Neha started to bleed from her mouth and ears and had also hurt her arms and feet. Her mother’s eye had swollen up. Cops rushed the mother-daughter to Rajawadi Hospital and they were later moved to KEM Hospital. Neha was admitted to the ICCU and passed away on September 9.
The Tata Hospital has been arranging for accommodation for children suffering from cancer. But he number of patients is very high and not everyone can be accommodated, doctors said.
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About the Author
Nitasha Natu

Nitasha Natu is a Senior Assistant Editor with the Times of India and writes on gender, human rights, road safety and law enforcement. She has received the Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2021. She tweets @nnatuTOI

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