This is the success story of Sufyan, a 3-year-old ‘Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Survivor’. He was born with an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), in which there is a hole that occurs in the septum (wall) that separates the heart’s upper chambers (atria).
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.
Sufyan was born in Swat, a scenic valley in the northernmost KPK province of Pakistan. As an infant, he would experience breathing issues along with having bouts of fever and digestive issues. His parents, seeing the distress their son was in, initially took him to a local doctor.
After a thorough examination, an echocardiography (ECHO) was recommended. The results of this cardiac ultrasound revealed the presence of a life-threatening CHD. Sufyan’s family was told that he would need heart surgery as soon as possible.
They were told to go to Peshawar, the capital of the province, because of the better medical facilities. However, after getting there, they discovered that the required procedure was relatively expensive.
Sufyan’s father works as a labourer and is the sole breadwinner in a family of 5. He needed financial support. Not giving up though, in the search for treatment options, he eventually made his way to Lahore, a more urban city and the capital of the Punjab province.
It is in Lahore that he met with Dr. M. Asim Khan, a renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon. Dr. Asim enlightened him about our team in Lahore, as he happens to be a Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF) Medical Advisory Board Member as well.
Sufyan’s father contacted us immediately and the family was called in for an evaluation. After the quick process was complete, we were pleased to inform them that we would be able to schedule the heart surgery at Ittefaq Hospital (Trust) in Lahore.
This was possible because of our generous donors, who we are forever grateful to. All formalities were taken care of and a world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals was on board to carry out the procedure. Sufyan’s family was told that he was in the best of hands.
The surgery lasted for a few hours after which it was our privilege to inform them that Sufyan had defeated CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ with a second chance at life along with a lifetime of hope ahead.
A better future for him and his loved ones was on the horizon. They were all so happy and thankful beyond measure to our team. His family members were kind enough to tell us that they would urge people to support our cause. We appreciate that tremendously!
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
