The child was suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Zolgensma was imported from the United States

The money was pooled using crowdfunding

Kanav, a one-and-half-year old boy from Delhi got a new lease of life as he was administered with a drug which costs an exorbitant Rs 17.5 crore. He was suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder since his birth. 

The medicine, called Zolgensma, is an expensive drug and was imported from the United States. Even as the child was administered the drug, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal visited him. Later, he said,  “If the disease wasn’t treated within 24 months, his life could have been in danger.” he said, after a conversation with the baby’s parents. In the entire country, there have only been nine such cases and this is the first case in Delhi,”,” as reported by India Today.

The parents resorted to crowdfunding in order to raise the amount. As per the website, as many as 10.5 lakh participated in it and raised Rs 10.5 crore. 

The website noted that SMA is caused by a lack of the SMN-1 gene in the body. Owing to the disorder, the child had been left with paralysed legs. Slowly, the upper body too started suffering, making it all the more hard for him.