ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — Anika Chanda has come so far, and looking at her now, it’s hard to believe she grew up in and out of the hospital, and attached to machines and devices. Encouragement from her family has been a constant, even when they were unsure what the future would look like.
Anika was diagnosed with a congenital condition the day after she entered the world.
“Essentially her liver was up in her chest, and her right lung never developed, and that kind of sets off a cascade of events where she ended up needing 3 different surgeries over the course of the 1st 3 months, and she was in the ICU for that amount of time," said Akash Chandawarkar, Anika's dad.
WATCH: St. Pete dad helps lead daughter into recovery with strength and encouragement
Anika's parents are both in the medical field, and even they struggled to understand how to navigate this.
“While we understood the anatomy and the medical part, it was really hard to figure out how to be a patient through that,” Chandawarkar said.
Anika rallied — and now she no longer needs to be hooked up to an oxygen tank at home. That’s huge! She still has a feeding tube to help with growth, but that could eventually be taken out, too.
“We're so happy that she's able to kind of function on her own, play, learn, grow, copy her sister, bother her sister, bother the dog," Chandawarkar laughed. "All the things that little kids should be doing and that she's able to participate in that.”
Casey Cares Foundation helps support families with critically ill kids.
“It can be those pajamas in the hospital when you're there multiple days, right? Just something to make it a little bit more comfortable — events! If we can get out of the hospital just for a day or two [and] go to the movies, go to a baseball game, just have a chance to get out as a family and enjoy that time," said Brent Harris, who works with Casey Cares Foundation. "The meals, movie nights and pizza nights, just something to make it a little bit easier.”
Harris said the organization is celebrating Akash as a dedicated and supportive dad during Father’s Day weekend.
“I mean, the dad's role is so vital and to be there every single day for your child and to go through the most difficult times, I think it puts it in perspective, " said Harris. " We take for granted the health of our children.”
Akash wants to remind other dads going through something similar — there is support out there, and do everything you can to seek it out.
For those of us who know a dad or mom caring for a critically ill child, "Reach out to them and let them know that you're thinking about them and that there are resources out there to help them just get through the day," said Chandawarkar.
To learn more about Casey Cares Foundation and how it helps support families raising critically ill children, click here.
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Heather Leigh was born and raised in Tampa Bay. She’s invested in telling stories from Seminole Heights and Ybor City and helping you find affordable childcare. Send Heather a message with any ideas you’d like to share.
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