In a remarkable display of support, a fund exceeding 14.5 million rupees has been raised in less than 24 hours to cover the knee surgery costs of the National Women's Football Team captain Sabitra Bhandari, popularly known as 'Samba'.
Expressing gratefulness for her fans and supporters for their kind support, Samba said, "I cannot describe in words the support, trust and love I have received for my treatment in the last 24 hours. Financially, you have already covered the cost of my treatment."
Posting a Facebook message on Tuesday, Samba said, "More than 1 Crore Nepalese rupees has been deposited in my Nepali bank account and 45 lakhs Nepalese rupees (52 thousand New Zealand dollars) have been deposited in foreign platforms for my treatment."
Samba took to her Facebook account seeking financial support at 3:19 pm yesterday after the iconic striker was denied assistance by ANFA for her knee surgery.
The fund-raising campaign had started with the goal of raising US$ 135,000 after calculating that it would cover the expenses incurred for her ACL knee surgery and the recuperation period for around seven months.
The knee surgery is estimated to cost around US$ 80k and the remaining amount would be required for the rehabilitation period, according to the appeal posted by Samba on her Facebook.
After the donations poured in for the support of her treatment that exceeded the set goal, Samba has requested the helping hands to stop support. "This seems to cover not only my treatment expenses, but also the accommodation and transportation during my treatment in Qatar. Various personalities and organizations living in Qatar have also promised support. Therefore, I request you to stop the support amount in both accounts from today," Samba said.
She has expressed her gratefulness to all the supporters for their support for her treatment within a short span of time and attributed this prompt help to her biggest wealth. "I have once again understood from my heart that the greatest wealth I have earned as a player is not money and titles, but love, trust and support. This is my real earning."
She is planning her second ACL knee surgery at the best facility of Aspetar in Qatar, Doha, which is very costly, according to the information posted on her Facebook.
Her last surgery was supported by the ANFA, but the current leadership didn't just deny her support but kept her waiting for more than six weeks, ultimately denying any administrative support.
Her affiliated club, Wellington Phoenix, is also facilitating the treatment by disbursing the insurance amount and additional support for the surgery and rehabilitation, according to Samba.
As captain of Nepal’s women’s national football team, she has inspired countless young girls to dream beyond boundaries and believe that nothing is impossible.
Through sheer hard work, she became Nepal’s most feared striker and earned an overseas contract with Wellington Phoenix FC, proudly representing both Nepal and New Zealand on the professional stage.
She expressed commitment that she would take the field once again wearing the Nepal jersey after full recovery.
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