Praghosa Prabhu

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Internet: "Ron Marinelli" <macaroni (AT) earthlink (DOT) net>

14-May-04 12:18 -0700

Bcc: Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Swami [32775]

Praghosa Prabhu

---------------------------

 

Dear Respected Vaisnava,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances.  All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

I am broadcasting this to most of the devotees in my address book. 

Praghosa Prabhu, our long-term godbrother, friend and book distributor,

is in a lot of trouble as you will see in the attached document from

Udayananda Prabhu.  Radhanatha Maharaja and Indradyumna Maharaja, among

others, are significantly helping also.

 

Udayananda Prabhu has taken on the responsibility to raise up some

money for the medical expenses that are needed for Praghosa prabhu.  He

asked me to help, both by donating some money and by forwarding his

message to all I know. 

 

Please consider acting on two items:

 

1)  Get in contact with Udayananda Prabhu, who’s email address and

telephone number are in the body of this text, for purposes of offering

a donation to this cause if you are inclined.  You will also see his

email address in the cc:

 

2) If you know devotees that might wish to help, kindly forward this

email to them.

 

Might I suggest that even a small amount of money will help us in this

cause. 

 

Your servant,

 

Gopal Bhatta das

Here are the letters from Udayananda Prabhu:

 

Help Save the Life of Praghosa Prabhu... Please!!!

Dear devotees,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

The following appeal is one of the most difficult and painful things I

have had to do in my entire life. Our dear Godbrother and friend, Praghosa

dasa, has contracted a life threatening case of cancer. The doctors in the

Chowpatty Temple have discovered a tumor 18 inches long and 10 inches

wide in the abdominal area of his body. The attached letter from one of his

doctor to Radhanatha Swami will give a further explanation of his exact

condition.

 

It has been determined that in order to save Praghosa's life, this

tumor needs to be shrunk by several sessions of extremely costly

chemotherapy. Because of the size and location of this tumor, surgery

and/or radiation is not possible at this juncture. The cost of this

procedure will be a minimum of $25,000.00 US.

 

Praghosa is the father and provider of a wonderful vaisnava family. He

and his wife, Radhanga dasi have six children, a daughter-in-law and a

grandchild. They all live in Sri Dham Mayapura. His body is 51 years

old.

After 31 years of devotional service to Srila Prabhupada, he is still

distributing Srila Prabhupada's books on a daily basis on the streets

of New York City.

 

Just a little over a month ago, on St.Patrick's day,  he distributed

over 150 of Srila Prabhupada's books in NYC.  That day he called

me on his cell phone and told me that he was feeling ecstatic in the

nectar of book distribution and wanted to share it with me. He had a small

"hand's free" ear bud connected to his cell phone in which I could hear

clearly what he was saying to the conditioned souls and how they were

responding in return. I listened for about 45 minutes to one the most

ecstatic exchanges of book distribution expertise that I have ever heard in

my life. Practically every person that would stop would give a donation,

and with great appreciation take a book promising to read it.

 

The possibilities of this maharati book distributor continuing to

distribute books, and possibly training others, will be over very soon if he

cannot receive proper medical attention.  The doctors say that if he is

treated immediately, there is a 70% survival rate.

 

Prabhus, I am begging on my knees, please help me to serve Srila

Prabhupada's movement by restoring the health of this great soldier in

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's army. Forty-four years ago we became best friends.

Thirty-one years ago I brought him to the temple. Now due to my bad

karma I do not have the funds to save him. I can only beg for your mercy.

 

The worthless beggar,

 

Udayananda dasa

 

If you want to contribute by cash, check, MasterCard, Visa, Discover

card, American Express, make your checks out to:

 

Radhika Galleries-Save Praghosa Fund

3801 Obra Rd.

Graham, NC 27253

 

You can contact me at my email address:

 

cieslakparker (AT) aol (DOT) com

telephone:336-376-0331, 336-376-9377

 

For creditcard or debitcard You can give me the card number, the

expiration date, the name on the card and the amount you want to donate.

 

Thanking you in advance,

 

Your servant,

Udayananda dasa

*******************************************************************

 

Dear Udayananda Prabhu,

 

 Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

 Thank you very much for your kind letter. I have noted the contents

carefully.

 

 Let us sincerely pray for Praghosh Prabhus health and let us all do

whatever is required to help him. If we wish to offer him a peaceful

treatment we must all work together. Please allow me to honestly

explain the situation. We offered to try our best to meet his medical

expenses. If Praghosh Prabhu decides to go for the Chemo Therapy it

will simply be too costly for our temple to afford without a lot of

help. Our doctors only earn about $500 per month (that is a lot in

India). They all have families and homes to maintain. Our temple has

been sustained hand to mouth over the years. In India there is no real

income in book distribution. Chowpatty temple is in the top 5 of the

world every year for the December Marathon and in the top ten for the

yearly totals. All money earned by book distribution pays the BBT and

maintains the book distribution parties. There are little or no funds

beyond that. Praghosh Prabhu could certainly inspire more book

distribution but there is nothing Praghosh Prabhu could do to raise

substantial income. In India, practically all temples are maintained by

life membership. Our temple has never made a single life member. We

agreed to this years ago, to avoid conflict with the JUHU temple. Thus

our temple has always run hand to mouth for sustenance. Our hospital

being closed for 9 months has been a terrible financial strain for the

supporters of the hospital. I informed the temple to try to compensate

the costs of Praghosh Prabhu with money from donations and daksina

which has been given to me. I always immediately turn it over to the

temple. There is only about $3,000 left of that. I did not believe the

treatments would exceed that. Our doctors will continue to serve him

around the clock for absolutely free. That is already at much cost to

them but they are grateful to do so. If Praghosh Prabhu requires Chemo

Therapy our simple temple simply has no means to cover the entire cost

for the materials required. We will certainly do our very best and

beyond. However, if our beloved Godbrother does go into this

Chemo treatment it will require a joint effort of those who really

love him. It appears to me that Krishna wants to give a chance to his

dear friends to help at this time. "A friend in need is a friend

indeed."  My humble and sincere request to you is please, please,

please help in this crucial matter. You are his very dearest friend.

You know who are his dear friends and well wishers. Please contribute

and inspire his other friends to contribute to this noble cause. It is

a genuine way to show our love and reciprocate with his incredible life

of devotion. If this treatment is required let us all sincerely and

earnestly work together to raise the funds required. Let us do

everything possible to keep Praghosh Prabhu free of all financial

anxieties at this critical time in his life. Let us show our love and

appreciation through our service to him. Whatever is best for him, he

should get with minimum disturbance. Please, if necessary, do contact

his friends and well wishers for help and contribute whatever you

possibly can. Let us all stand united in our sacrifice to serve this

great soul. Srila Prabhupada will certainly be pleased.

 

Your servant,

 

Radhanath Swami

 

******************************************************************

 

4/28/04

 

Dear Radhanatha Swami Maharaja,

 

Hare Krishna

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Please accept my most humble obeisances.

 

It was revealed in the investigations of H.G.Praghosh Prabhu that he

has developed recurrence of his previous cancer. Amazingly he has

developed an unusually large sized Tumor approximately 1 ½ feet by 10 inches

in size on the left side of the abdomen going into the Pelvis, going up to

the left Kidney encroaching upon important structures like left Kidney,

Abdominal Aorta and Big Veins, like an Octopus. It is very obvious that he

has neglected his health and early symptoms of the relapse very badly. In

one sense, this is a very serious condition as the Tumor can burst the

Aorta and Veins & cause fatal bleeding inside. He is still in the hospital.

Today he was supposed to undergo Surgical Excision of left Inguinal Lymph

Node to assess the status of the cancer whether malignant or benign or

local.

Surgical removal of the big Tumor is impossible due to its Octopus like

encroaching structure, which may endanger the vital structures. He

needs to urgently take 6 sessions of Chemotherapy with advanced drugs with

the interval of 4 to 6 weeks between the 2 sessions. For each session he

needs to be hospitalized for 48hrs and each session will cost Indian rupees

1 lakh 25-30 thousand. It will be unimaginably costly abroad. The very first

session will bring the tumor to 1/3rd of its size most probably.

Please please please tell him not to think of any alternative

treatment at this moment of time. That can be considered, once the life

threatening size of the Tumor goes down by Chemotherapy. Anything else but

Chemotherapy will put his life at risk.

 

Detailed evaluation of the Tumor is awaited. All the above things are

duly explained to him.

 

Your servant

Vishwarup das MD