Ervad Shahzad Darayus Hozdar (pictured), aged 28, has been diagnosed with high grade Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells, putting him at a high risk of developing Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a type of cancer.
Sadly, Shahzad’s younger brother Malcolm passed away at the age of 20 from AML and the family is terrified at the prospect of losing another son. His 57-year-old father Darayus met with a car accident on July 13, 2023, lost his job and now serves as a mobed.
Shahzad does not have any medical insurance cover, having applied for an insurance policy just three months back. He is a full-time priest receiving daily wages at the N. R. Tata Agiary in Bandra. Unable to work now, he has no income. He married Natasha Kasad eight months back in December 2022 and they were keen to start a family. Natasha has sacrificed her job to look after her husband who needs to be kept in isolation to safeguard him from infection.
Doctors have informed the family that the only cure is a bone marrow transplant. Till such time as a compatible match is found, Shahzad will require "maintenance” treatment to control spread of the disease. This will cost Rs 1,30,000 (USD 1,562) per month for medication, tests and hospitalization. When a match is found, the bone marrow transplant will cost Rs 60,00,000 (USD 72,083).
As this amount is clearly beyond their means, we seek donations from community members to assist this deserving person.