The Gupta Family
Dr. Ravi Gupta, Dr. Sohita Mehra Gupta, Mahin, Navya and Nyra
We were each at work and Mahin was at daycare when we got the call that Mahin’s routine 2-year-old visit lab tests came back abnormal, and that he had Leukemia. We were expecting Mahin’s younger sister, Navya at the time.
Our lives stopped immediately as Mahin was admitted to the hospital to initiate the chemotherapy treatment he would endure for the next 2 years. During that time, we took care to limit our exposure to other children and crowds as his immune system was weakened. About halfway through treatment, the 4 of us moved back to Long Island where we had grown up to be closer to our families and have a larger support system.
At Cohen Children’s Medical Center, we found an oncologist willing to continue the treatment protocol initiated in Rhode Island. Here, we met the volunteers of Sunrise on Wheels. They were ever present with toys and activities, helping to make long days and sometimes a few night stays at the hospital gentler and more eventful.
As summer came Mahin and Navya were able to go to Sunrise Day Camp together. They swam, played sports, and got ready for Color Wars! For the first time they were able to do the fun things that other kids their age could do… face painting, balloon animals, swords, tennis with balloons. At that point at age 4 and 2, Mahin and Navya had been to very few birthday parties as indoor activities and crowds could be dangerous. They would go for the next few summers, excited to see their friends and enjoy the outdoors among like-minded families looking for a safe space. One summer when Mahin had a broken foot, this was the one camp that could accommodate him. We always had peace of mind with the Cohen’s staff on site.
The next few years we tried to move on from the hardship and stress of those years. Mahin and Navya became an older brother and sister to Nyra. Although they had different camp and summer experiences, they always remembered Sunrise Day Camp fondly. Sunrise helped us feel like we weren’t missing out for those years. We are so delighted to once again be a part of SunriseWALKS and the camp family this year.
Mahin is now an honors student, saxophone player, and runner on the cross country and track teams at Roslyn High School. Navya is an honors student at Roslyn Middle School and competitive dancer at Hanna Kroner School of Dance. Nyra is at Harbor Hill Elementary School, enjoying booster Basketball and competitive Dance at Hanna Kroner. Ravi is a physician at NYU Langone Health in Patchogue, and Sohita is a physician at Jamaica Hospital.
