This is the success story of Abdullah, a 1-year-old ‘Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Survivor’. He was diagnosed with a CHD called a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), in which there is a hole that occurs in the septum (wall) that separates the heart’s lower ventricles (chambers) and allows blood to pass from the left to the right side of the heart.
The oxygen-rich blood then gets pumped back to the lungs instead of out to the body, causing the heart to work harder. A VSD is potentially life-threatening, and symptoms include shortness of breath, frequent respiratory infections, paleness etc.
Ever since birth, signs of Abdullah’s heart condition were visible and so his parents took him for an initial examination in their hometown of Swabi. Even though the city is a relatively economically developed area in the province of KPK, the family was still advised to go to Peshawar for a further check-up.
That’s where his echocardiography (ECHO, a cardiac ultrasound, was done. The results of this test confirmed the presence of his VSD and that treatment was immediately required. For parents, especially those of a newborn, this is absolutely devastating news.
However, after an initial shock, they realised that there was no time to waste and that they had to start searching for options right away. This is exactly what they did and following a thorough search, they made their way to Bahria International Hospital Orchard (BIHO).
BIHO happens to be a hospital our patients are treated at and when the doctors there met with Abdullah’s father, who works as a tailor and supports his entire family, they were informed of the fact that financial support was needed. They were then referred to us.
Being a premier organization in the field of CHD, we have financially supported 600+ life-saving child heart surgeries since inception in 2016 and were ready to step in to save Abdullah’s life as well. With the support of an incredible donor base, arranging funds for his surgery would not be a problem.
Following a meeting with the Abdullah and his family, we took care of all hospital-related formalities and swiftly scheduled his surgery with a world-class team of healthcare professionals on board. His parents were told that he was now in safe hands.
As Abdullah was undergoing an intricate procedure, his parents were constantly praying for it to be successful. It must be said that they were showing tremendous courage and had faith that their son would emerge as a ‘CHD Survivor’.
A few hours later, that is exactly what happened and we were thrilled to tell Abdullah’s loved ones that he had overcome his life-threatening heart disease! After facing an unprecedented challenge, Abdullah could now go on to live a normal life filled with special moments with his family.
His family members were grateful beyond measure for everything we had done for them and wished us continued success in all our projects. These kind words will always be a source of motivation for us to continue doing our utmost to support these families.
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
