Help Two-Year-Old Lithin Fight SMA Before It Takes Away His Strength Forever

My name is Pavithra E, and I am the mother of two-year-old Lithin Jose. From the day he was born, he has been the centre of our lives; our only child and the reason we wake up with hope every morning. Lithin has always been a bright, cheerful baby who smiles easily and fills our home with warmth. But over time, we began noticing changes that no parent should ever have to face.

Lithin was not meeting his developmental milestones. His body felt unusually floppy, he could not sit without support, and even holding his head up was difficult for him. We hoped it was something temporary, but doctors advised further tests. After long weeks of hospital visits and medical evaluations, we received a diagnosis that completely broke us.

Lithin has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

This condition is life-threatening and progressive. His medical report confirmed:

1. Homozygous deletion of SMN1 exons 7 and 8 (the main genetic cause of SMA)
2. Floppiness, peripheral hypotonia, and motor developmental delay as clinical symptoms
3. SMN2 gene copy count of 3, which affects the severity of the disease

SMA causes gradual muscle weakening. Children with this condition struggle with movement, sitting, swallowing, and eventually even breathing. It does not stop on its own; it gets worse every single day without timely treatment.

We come from a very modest background. My husband works as a bike mechanic in Kodaikanal, earning just enough to run the household. When the cold climate started affecting Lithin’s breathing and strength, I had no choice but to move to Chennai and stay with my brother so my child could be safe. We have no financial support, no insurance, and no way to afford the cost of SMA treatment, which is far beyond anything we could ever imagine.

We are reaching out with a mother’s hope and a father’s helplessness. All we want is a chance to save our child. We want to give him the treatment that can stop the progression of SMA before more damage is done. We want to give him therapy, equipment, and medical care that can help him gain strength. We want to watch him stand, move, and live the childhood he deserves.

Your support can change everything for us. Even a small contribution can bring us closer to giving Lithin a future; a chance to grow, to smile without pain, and to live like any other child. As parents, we are fighting with everything we have, but we cannot do this alone.

We humbly ask for your help to save our son.