ATA win laurels for mobilizing support to Mancherial’s student

Donors and the American Telugu Association (ATA) have raised Rs 2.72 crore for Spandana Lagishetti, a 23-year-old student from Mancherial critical in a US hospital. Her parents, a cab driver and homemaker, are appealing for emergency visas

Mancherial: Members of the American Telugu Association (ATA), social organizations and donors won praise for mobilizing nearly Rs three crore to support the treatment a 23-year-old student Spandana Lagishetti of Naspur, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital after falling from a 20 feet high structure in the United States recently.

Spandana’s parents—Srinivas and Sunitha said that members of the ATA, some social organizations and compassionate donors raised Rs 2.72 crore so far through the GoFundMe platform to meet medical expenses. They thanked the association president Jayanth, ATA Chicago Sevak in-charge Mahipal for coming forward to extend humanitarian support to the student.

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Family members explained that Spandana had gone to the US to pursue higher studies at Elmhurst University in America after graduating in engineering. She met with an accident at a metro railway station in the US on May 31. She was immediately admitted to Lutheran General Hospital. She remains in critical care in the Intensive Care Unit as her medical condition is learned to be serious.

On learning about the plight of Spandana through a local leader Rachakonda Venkateshwar Rao, 10th division corporator Gopal Rao, retired Superintending Engineer Venu Madhav Rao and her friends, members of the ATA spoke to the management of the hospital and promised to bear the medical expenses estimated at Rs 4 crore.

Meanwhile, Srinivas, a cab driver and Sunitha, a homemaker appealed to the Centre and State governments to sponsor their visas so that they could be with their daughter. They regretted that their modest financial background prevented them from travelling abroad. They urged the public and philanthropists to continue donating generously to help reunite them with Spandana.

Srinivas said that he managed to send his elder daughter to the US by borrowing from his friends.