Where we are after 3298 days of the “Come Walk With Me” fundraising campaign...

Five months back, I hit the lowest point in life when doctors predicted that I have less than two years to live. But in the last 100 days, since we started this fundraiser, I have lived through probably the most inspirational phase of my life thanks to the tsunami of support and encouragement I received from thousands-upon-thousands of well-wishers. With my family and friends locking-around me like a protective shield and well-wishers rallying to form a force for good, I almost feel invincible now. I started this walk hoping to find a few stragglers to keep me company, but instead, I seemed to have found a veritable rally of humanity to carry me all the way!

The massive outpouring of support has been extremely humbling. Whether it was a group of friends banding together to pull-off a slick celebrity event, or families opening up their homes for fundraisers, or a 11-year old raising funds among her middle school friends, they have all inspired me to believe a little stronger and fight a little harder. At the same time, their strong commitment has also made me resolute about being more accountable to them. This is the least I can do to show my appreciation. They all stuck their necks out for me, now it is my turn to reciprocate. There is still a lot of uncertainty around where we are and the way forward. But—even in vague terms—I feel I owe a general update on how I plan to leverage their support. As of now (Feb 2016), the way we see the treatment options, treatment locations, and funding sources playing out is as below.

Public Contributions.

Total Amount : $ 416,009

Specifically, doctors have identified three distinct phases of treatment. They are;

• Pre-procedure management of symptoms
• The procedure, and
• The aftercare process

In just 100-days of fundraising, thanks to the dedication of my supporters, we have managed to raise a whopping USD 350K. This is no mean sum. But we are determined not to use any of these funds for my treatment as yet. Though I am well into phase 1 of the treatment (pre-procedure management), we are making an active effort to preserve the funds raised exclusively for phases 2 & 3. This is partly because most donations were made towards a definitive therapy, but also because, using personal funds to cover the unpredictable and ever-evolving phase 1 (therapeutic treatment) gives us more options in the crucial phase 2 (procedure).

This update is only meant to give my supporters a general idea of the direction we are headed. But we hope to keep updating--as new information becomes available--to clarify exactly how we plan to leverage their support. In the meantime, their unwavering commitment has definitely given me a second wind. I get the feeling this fight is far from over!