DHAKA — Shojol Kumar Roy, a postgraduate student in the Japanese Studies department at Dhaka University, has appealed to the government, philanthropists and charitable institutions for financial help to save his mother, who is suffering from advanced breast cancer.
Roy grew up in a destitute family in a remote village, where the household often struggled to afford three meals a day. A bright student from an early age, he has been funding his own studies through tutoring since enrolling at the university. Now he is fighting a new battle, against the cancer afflicting his 46-year-old mother, Swapna Rani.
His father is a carpenter, and the family had been managing his mother’s treatment with the combined income from his father’s work and Roy’s tutoring. After the disease was diagnosed two years ago, the family sold its last assets — 10 decimals of land and three cows — to cover medical costs.
Despite prolonged treatment in Bangladesh, doctors have not seen the expected improvement and have advised that she be taken abroad for treatment as soon as possible.
Roy’s home is in South Sripur village in Sripur union of Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha district. His father, Mohonnal Chandra Roy, is a carpenter, and his mother is a homemaker. Roy is the second of four brothers. The family includes his parents, his elder brother and sister-in-law and their daughter, and two younger brothers who are in 10th grade in the science stream at a local school. The elder brother works as a day labourer in the textile sector.
According to the family, Roy’s mother was first diagnosed with cancer at a diagnostic centre in Rangpur in 2024. The medical name for the disease is “CART breast, IDCC, G-2”. After treatment there failed to bring results, she was moved to Dhaka Medical, where progress was also limited. On April 23, she began treatment at the Ahsania Mission Cancer Hospital in Dhaka under the care of Dr. Parvin Shahida Akhter, a senior consultant in medical oncology.
The family said symptoms had appeared as early as two years before the 2024 diagnosis, but economic hardship and indecision delayed proper testing and treatment. For the first two years, Roy’s mother received homeopathic treatment. As her condition worsened, she was taken to Rangpur for medical care.
“Our current situation, especially our financial condition, is extremely dire,” Roy said. “Financial assistance is urgent for my mother’s treatment. To save her, we need 15 lakh taka very quickly, which is impossible for us to raise. We have already sold whatever we had.”
He said monthly expenses for tests and medicines had run between 30,000 and 35,000 taka for the past four months. “We are exhausted. It may not be possible to continue much longer,” he said.
Roy said his mother was last examined on March 23 at the Ahsania Mission and Cancer General Hospital. Doctors had not been able to make a decision on the first day and had asked for time, calling the family back the following Tuesday. “I don’t know what they will tell us. Treatment has been continuing for the past year, but there are no results from the treatment in Bangladesh,” he said.
Treatment abroad for the disease is estimated to cost about 15 lakh taka, which is beyond the family’s means. Roy has appealed for help to the government, philanthropists and charitable institutions.
His mobile money number is 01612023886 (bKash, Nagad, Rocket). He also has a BRAC Bank account in the name of Shojol Kumar, number 1066367030001, Elephant Road branch, routing number 060261339; and an Islami Bank account in the name of Shojol Kumar, number 20502156700186003, Elephant Road branch, routing number 125261337.
Mohammad Azaharul Islam, chairman of Sripur union, said he had not been aware of the case. “I am hearing about it for the first time through you. Various sectors, including social welfare, do provide medical assistance. If they contact us, we will look into it and provide the necessary support,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report