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Vashi2Panvel.com: Navi Mumbai: April 30: We have all seen him in the surf-excel ad, ‘Blue ko blue hi rehne do’. Then he shared the screen-space with Dharam paji’s son, Sunny Deol in Dollar Baniyan. Very soon he grabbed Britannia and whirlpool commercials too! What more, he also has a wizard’s hand! This precocious 8-year old kid, Ashley Venristell is no ordinary child. A Hypo gamma Globulin Anaemia patient, Ashley is fighting for life. His parents are hoping against hopes so that he lives an extra mile and enjoy life like all of us do. V2P Correspondent had a tête-à-tête with this child prodigy. Excerpts from the interview:

What are the commercials that you’ve done?
I have done around four advertisements- Surf Excel, Britannia, Whirl Pool and Dollar Baniyan.

And, what about your education?
I’m in class 3 now. I studied till class 2 in DAV Public School, New Panvel. Now that we have shifted to Andheri, I am going to Poddar Public School.

Do you play games? What is your favourite sport?
I like to play cricket, football, videogames and kite flying.

You have any best friends?
My best friend’s are Viraj, Balaji and Aditya. I don’t like to make friendship with girls They are so naughty.

Ashley’s supportive mother, Andrea Venristell spoke to us more about the disease, his health and diet regime.

When did you and your husband realise that Ashley is suffering from this disease?
When Ashley was five years old he struck pneumonia and after that he was unable to recover. He became weaker by the day. So, my husband, Clive decided to admit Ashley to hospital where the doctor pronounced that he’s suffering from Hypo gamma Globulin Anaemia.
It happens due to in sufficient amount of white blood corpuscles in blood.

How did you react when you heard about it?
I completely lost control on myself. It was a testing time for my family and me. Ashley was only five years old at that time. But I always treat him like a normal child.

Is there any specific diet regime he need to follow?
I don’t like to stop him from having junk foods like Vada Pav, Pani Puri etc. But I have to do so to take care of his health. I always try to give him nutritious food like rice, dal, chapatti, green vegetables, milk as well as non veg food.

How did he enter advertisements?
Ashley is a very talented boy. Every body in our society in New Panvel appreciated his work and insisted him to show them magic shows. Linda and Dunga productions saw his performance and gave him the first break for Surf Excel.

How is Ashley’s health now?
Ashley is quite well now and is very active these days. It’s only because of the injection given to him which costs around Rs.30,000.

How do the people around you help you in these trying times?
People of all status come to help us. One day one poor fellow came to me and said,
“My monthly salary is just Rs 900 and I want to contribute Rs.100 for Ashley’s treatment.” But I didn’t accept it as it’s unfair to take money from the poor. If I accept money from them, god will never forgive me. Therefore I want affluent people to come forward and sponser for Ashley’s magic shows and endorsements.

Contact-
Andrea Vanristel,
Tony Compound,
Church Prakadi, Road No 1,
Sahar Village Andheri (East).

Uma Waghamare