This is the success story of Raza, a 5-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.
After Raza had started to experience certain symptoms of his underlying heart condition, his parents had to take him to a doctor based in their hometown of Lahore, in the province of Punjab. This is also where our flagship project, Pakistan’s first dedicated Children’s Heart Hospital & Research Institute, is being built.
His parents were worried but had no idea about the severity of the situation at hand. During Raza’s medical check-up, the doctor suspected that he was born with a hole in the heart and therefore recommended an echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound.
His parents were extremely worried and rightly so, because when the results of this test came in it was confirmed that Raza had a life-threatening CHD. He needed treatment at the earliest and that left the entire family in a precarious position.
Adding to their woes was the fact that they found the required treatment unaffordable. Raza’s father, who is the sole breadwinner of the family, was in desperate need of financial support.
They needed a source of hope, a ray of light, and that’s where we come in. PCHFNA is an organization that has paved the way to a normal life for 600+ children like Raza since inception in 2016.
Once they found out about us, they contacted our team immediately and scheduled a meeting. After evaluating the case thoroughly, it was decided that we would financially support Raza’s heart surgery. This was great news for his loved ones who were now feeling like their lives were finally about to change.
The surgery was scheduled at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH) and a brilliant team of CHD healthcare professionals was on board. All hospital and accommodation related arrangements were swiftly made as well.
The moment Raza went in for surgery, his parents started praying for it to go well and they were also reassured by us that he was in the best of hands. Once the procedure was complete, it was a privilege to tell them that Raza had defeated CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Survivor’ who could now go on in life to carve his own path to happiness
For his family members, we had helped create a point in life in which they felt tremendously proud of him. Even though they were overwhelmed with emotion, they were highly appreciative of our team and how we had transformed their lives. Such words will always be a motivating factor for us.
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
