This is the success story of Zainab, a 3-year-old ‘Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Survivor’. He was diagnosed with a CHD called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), in which there is a hole that occurs in the septum (wall) that separates the heart’s upper ventricles (chambers).
The hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs. A large, long-standing ASD can damage both the heart and lungs. An ASD is potentially life-threatening and symptoms include breathing difficulties, frequent lung infections, skipped heartbeats etc.
The major symptom that Zainab experienced was difficulty breathing and her parents immediately took her to a local hospital in their hometown of Bhakkar, a mainly agricultural region in the Punjab province. The doctor there recommended an echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound.
The family then had to travel all the way to the city of Multan, an urban area, for this test which revealed the hole in Zainab’s heart. Her condition was life-threatening and she needed heart surgery as soon as possible.
They were then told to visit the prestigious Children’s Hospital in Lahore to discuss treatment options. With the waiting list there being in thousands, Zainab’s parents were devastated.
However, they were informed about our organization and that gave them hope. They arranged a meeting with us in which they were informed of the cost of the required treatment. Zainab’s father, who works as an electrician and is the sole breadwinner in his family, would need financial support.
That’s where we step in. Since inception in 2016, we have financially supported 500+ life-saving child heart surgeries, which would not be possible without the support of our incredible donor base, both individuals and organizations alongside us.
Arranging the required funds would not be a problem for us and we swiftly started making arrangements for Zainab’s surgery. All hospital-related formalities were taken care of and the procedure was scheduled at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH), with a world-class team of healthcare professionals on board.
Zainab’s loved ones were given reassurances that everything possible in terms of preparing had been done and that she was in safe hands. Despite being in an unimaginably difficult situation, they were showing tremendous resilience in the face of adversity.
With the complex surgery lasting a few hours, following its completion, we were delighted to inform Zainab’s family that she had defeated CHD! She was now a ‘CHD Survivor’ and together, they could go on to live a normal life.
They were all grateful beyond measure and wished us continued success in all our projects. Her father left inspired, wishing for Zainab to grow up and help people like we helped them. We appreciate the kind words and our drive to heal hearts remains stronger than ever.
1 in 100 children are born with CHD, the world’s most common birth defect. We hope that these stories inspire even more people to contribute towards our cause so that we can continue shaping a brighter future for affected children and their families. We are genuinely leaving no stone unturned for them. Every life matters, every child matters.
Join us on our journey to conquering CHD in Pakistan by donating now towards child heart surgeries or the construction of Pakistan’s first dedicated Children’s Heart Hospital & Research Institute (CHHRI) at: https://pchfna.kindful.com/
#SuccessStory #CHDSurvivor #ASD
#EveryLifeMattersEveryChildMatters #PCHFNA
#1in100 #CHDAwareness #ConqueringCHD
