Why did the family of the sick boy decide to go to Shirdi? Was it their first choice?

Going to Shirdi was not the family's first choice, but rather their last resort. As Chapter 34 explains, the family had already tried everything possible from a medical standpoint to cure their son's painful bone-cyst. They had exhausted all 'native and foreign treatments' and even attempted surgery, all to no avail. It was only when all these remedies reached their limit and the disease showed no signs of subsiding that they heard about a 'famous Avaliya (saint) living in Shirdi.' Believing that Sai Baba's Udi could cure incurable diseases, they decided to make the journey, viewing it as their final hope. Chapter 34 quotes their sentiment: 'Let us go and bow at his feet; let us try this last resort.'