This is the success story of Jamal, 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.
Right after birth, signs and symptoms of CHD started to appear in Jamal. The doctors in his home city of Khyber, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which is the northernmost province of Pakistan, had him undergo a thorough medical examination to determine what exactly was causing Jamal’s sickness.
Jamal’s parents, extremely worried about his health, waited for the results of his tests which included an echocardiography (ECHO), a cardiac ultrasound. When the results came, their worst fears were realised. Jamal had a potentially life-threatening VSD.
Adding to their woes was the fact that they were unable to afford the treatment needed to save Jamal’s life. His father, who works as a laborer and is the sole breadwinner in a family of 7, needed financial support.
Searching for treatment options, the family eventually made their way to Lahore, where they met renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Dr. Mohammad Asim Khan. He turned out to be the ray of light they needed as he told them about us.
Being a premier organization in the field of CHD, we have financially supported 600+ child heart surgeries since inception in 2016. Jamal’s family was pleased to learn of this and viewed us as a genuine source of hope.
Following an initial meeting with Jamal’s parents, the whole case was discussed and it was decided that we would financially support the surgery. Being blessed with a tremendous donor base, both organizations and individuals who believe in our cause, arranging the funds would not be a problem.
All hospital-related formalities were taken care of and with a world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals on board, Jamal’s surgery was scheduled at Ittefaq Hospital (Trust) in Lahore. His parents were constantly reassured that their child was in the very best of hands.
As Jamal was in surgery, undergoing an intricate procedure called a VSD Closure, his loved ones were all praying for its success. A few immensely difficult hours later, it was our pleasure to inform them all that he had defeated CHD and emerged as a ‘CHD Survivor’.
His parents were delighted beyond measure. Their infant child had so much fight within and they felt proud of him. They also acknowledged that we had made room in our hearts to heal his and were full of praise for our entire team. As they left, they wished us continued success in all our projects and we appreciated their kinds words.
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 at: https://pchfna.kindful.com/
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#EveryLifeMattersEveryChildMatters #PCHFNA
