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A helpless 26-year-old Mizbah Saiyed could have easily given up. Instead, she face the odds with courage and determination. Around 2022 March end, father of Mizbah, the sole breadwinner in the family, had to be admitted in the government hospital as he had heavy breathing issues. Mizbah recalls, "Normally, he is given one injection and things settle down. However, four injections were provided on that day but nothing worked. So, his admission to the hospital became important. The diagnosis at hospital revealed his both lungs were not functioning and needed oxygen. With the capacity full in ICU, he was shifted to another government hospital in ICU ward. After a few days, his condition improved and he was shifted in the general ward."

When inquired, it was found that his lungs has to be supported with an oxygen cylinder for life. This shocked the family. They decided to put him on an oxygen cylinder at home as they couldn't afford the daily expenses commuting from hospital to home. With no vehicle at home, the shuttle cost them Rs 200 each day. Thus, a mini-hospital had been developed at home. Medicines were given as per the recommendation of the doctor, nebulizer machine had been installed and two jumbo oxygen cylinders were kept at home.

Mizbah states, "I had to ask for Rs 8,000 deposit from my brother-in-law for the oxygen cylinder. He helped us saying nothing else matters more than his life. We also have to pay rent of Rs 50 for each cylinder and the cost for filling oxygen is different." She states, "My father has been suffering for the last two years. His hands used to get black and when we visited the doctor, it was found that two veins of his hands had been blocked. Angiography was done and two new veins were installed in hands. But luck wasn't in his favour. Some wooden part hit him and it resulted in gangrene. His right thumb had to be cut off and after that, on top of all this, he also developed breathing problems."

A Class-12- pass-out, Mizbah worked as a help in a multi- speciality hospital for four years. Her father used to run a Pan shop. He would earn Rs 200 per day while his daughter earned Rs 8,000 per month. Earlier, they were staying near Pankornaka and the hospital was nearby. Then they shifted to another area, Vejalpur. This made difficult for her to commute to the hospital every day. So, she left the job. It has been seven months now that she is at home. Before she quit her job at the hospital, she felt a nursing degree could help her to attain livelihood. So she enrolled herself in a General Nursing Midwifery course of more than three years from Bangalore. Studying currently in second year from home, she gets support from her professor to pay fees in instalments.

But the sudden upheaval in their life made her worry. She was advised by her sister to look for a job. She guided her to get training through a non-profit Janvikas for driving taxis. She found this idea viable and opted for it. They trained and even helped her to get a driving licence. She paid the amount and joined the training. One fine day, they had a meeting with trainees at an area that was far from her home and she couldn’t make it. Her supervisor sought the reason for her not attending the meeting. She told her helplessness that the travel cost from her home to the office couldn’t be borne by her. Janvikas then asked Mazdoor.co to help her for the travel cost. They agreed. Mizbah said, "They recently paid me Rs 1,500. My travelling cost for the training comes to Rs 60 each day to and fro from Mirzapur to Vejalpur in a shared autorickshaw. This will help me immensely. I can complete my training without any worry. I would have to miss out on training if I didn't have the money. This will lead me to complete training on time without any lapse."

Their situation is so critical financially that both mother and daughter have diabetes and high blood pressure. They are not in a position to buy medicines. Hence, they have stopped taking pills. Mother has thyroid problems too. Mizbah says, "We don't have money to focus on our health. All our energies are on the health of my father. Life is tough but we have to live and fight for ourselves. There was a time before few months that we had no money to have food. We have to survive. I am simply looking forward for the job as a taxi driver. It will ease our burden." She concludes, "The help of travel cost has come in the nick of a time for my training. I am grateful”.