From Instagram to Jama Masjid, influencer raises crores for child

New Delhi: The mother of a two-year-old child with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1 had been sitting outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in south Delhi for days, asking for help to get her daughter treated for the disease.

While many passed by without a second glance, social media influencer Sunny Mahor (@thodakhalo), known for his community outreach, approached her with his team. He quickly began rallying the crowd, showing medical records to passersby and explaining the specific injection the child urgently needed.

SMA Type 1 is a rare genetic disease affecting a child’s central nervous system, severely restricting voluntary muscle movement. According to the child’s mother, she needs an injection that costs Rs 9 crore.

Outside AIIMS, the influencer urged people to contribute whatever they could, even as little as Rs 100, to fund the child’s treatment. “Doctor ne saaf bola hai bacchi ke paas do mahine hai, agar is maa ke samne uski bachi mari to acha lagega (The doctor has clearly stated that the child has only two months left; would it be right for this mother to watch her daughter die)?”

Movement reaches Jama Masjid

Expanding the initiative, the group later moved the campaign to Delhi’s Jama Masjid to appeal to devotees for support.

“Aaj hamare yaha ek Maa ayi hai,” said Sunny, addressing people as they walked toward the mosque during Friday prayers. “A little girl, only two years old, who has barely seen the world, is battling a life-threatening disease. The treatment costs Rs 9 crore.”

Wearing T-shirts with photographs of the mother and the child, the group carried hospital documents and displayed QR codes urging people to donate whatever they could.

The video from the mosque shows several devotees reaching out to give money, while others made digital payments through the scanner displayed. Sunny wrote on Instagram, “When our Muslims brothers learned that this journey was not about money, but about saving a little life.”

The movement gained widespread attention on social media, helping Sunny raise more than his target of Rs 4.20 crore as users sent money via the UPI code shown in the videos. According to the influencer’s video

Accumulating 33.6 million views and 4 million likes, the video reached audiences far beyond Delhi as supporters everywhere chipped in to help the mother and her child.