Tejaswani was born very weak and pale due to Beta Thalassemia Major. Beta Thalassemia is a blood disorder in which the body has a problem producing beta globin, a component of haemoglobin. She is the third child of Shankar, who works as a driver and Shamala, an attendant. Fourteen-year-old Tejaswani undergoes blood transfusion every few weeks, since she was 3. She has to bear excruciating pain during blood transfusion, but her life depends on it.

Managing Thalassemia is expensive due to the high cost therapy, regular blood transfusions and medical interventions. She has been visiting OneStage supported NGO partner Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Society (TSCS) aided by the employees of our corporate partners Microsoft India and DeShaw India under our workplace giving programme. When she is feeling extremely low while visiting the hospital, seeing other Thalassemia patients fight the disease, motivates her to tackle the hardships in her life.

Tejaswani is one of the many beneficiaries receiving blood transfusion and drugs without any cost, thanks to the generous support from employees who have enrolled into our Give As You Earn programme. Through regular counselling by the nurses and doctors at TSCS, she has learnt to deal with Thalassemia. She has made her choice to use her inner strength to combat her negative thoughts and pains and is now living her life to the fullest.