This is the success story of Hassan, a 3-year-old ‘Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Survivor’. He was diagnosed with a CHD called Tetralogy Of Fallot (TOF), in which 4 heart problems occur simultaneously, decreasing the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. It can be fatal if left untreated.
Symptoms include bluish skin colour, developmental delays etc. CHDs such as TOF can be caused by a combination of factors, such as genes or things the mother comes in contact with. It may be diagnosed during pregnancy or shortly after birth.
Hassan and his family are from Multan, a major historic city in Pakistan’s Punjab province. After initially getting checked by a local doctor who suspected the presence of a CHD, an Echocardiography (ECHO) confirmed this.
Hassan’s parents were shocked to hear the news. To make matters even more complicated, they were told that he would need heart surgery as soon as possible and that its cost was relatively expensive.
The family needed financial support as Hassan’s father works as a shopkeeper and could not afford the cost of the required procedure. In the search for treatment options, he eventually made his way to Lahore, the capital of the province.
There he met renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Dr. M. Asim Khan, who also happens to be a Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF) Medical Advisory Board Member. He informed Hassan’s family about our team in Lahore.
A meeting was scheduled and the family was called in for an evaluation. After our quick process was complete, we were happy to inform them that we would be able to financially support Hassan’s heart surgery. Their fortunes were finally about to change.
The surgery would take place at Ittefaq Hospital (Trust) in Lahore and Dr. Asim was the surgeon alongside his brilliant team of allied healthcare professionals. This was made possible because of our incredible donors who we are thankful beyond measure to.
As Hassan was fighting for his life inside the Operation Theater (OT), his family was constantly praying for the surgery to be a success. A few hours later, it was our privilege to inform that he had defeated CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ with a brighter future ahead.
His loved ones were over the moon when they heard this. Together, they had shown tremendous resilience every step of the way. They were grateful to our team and wished us continued success in all our projects.
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
