This is the success story of Abaan, 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.
Just 2 months after birth, Abaan’s health began deteriorating. He used to have chest pain and was even diagnosed with pneumonia because of which he had to stay at a hospital for 7 days. He used to cough a lot as well and his parents were not even bathing him much as his skin used to turn blue afterwards.
These signs and symptoms had his family extremely worried and so they first took him for a check-up in their hometown of Kohat, a city in Pakistan’s northernmost province of KPK. With medical facilities there not being adequate for Abaan’s condition, he was taken to Peshawar, the capital of KPK.
Following an Echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound, it was revealed that Abaan had a potentially fatal CHD. Heart surgery was required as soon as possible and this left the whole family devastated.
To make matters worse, they found the surgery unaffordable. Abaan’s father, who works as a teacher and solely supports a family of 6, needed financial support. In this regard, they were referred to Dr. Asim, a renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon based in Lahore, where our flagship project is also located.
After listening to the whole ordeal, Dr. Asim informed them about us and this would be the moment leading to their lives changing for the better. With over 800 child heart procedures financially supported since inception in 2016, we were the source of hope that Abaan’s family so desperately needed.
The family immediately contacted our team and was asked to send us the required documents. They were then called for a meeting and after a complete evaluation of the case, the surgery was scheduled at Ittefaq Hospital (Trust) Lahore. Abaan’s father had also commendably arranged a significant share of the required funds.
The fact that everything was done so swiftly left a lasting impression on Abaan’s father. He could not believe how fast the process was and felt thankful beyond measure to us. With a world-class team of healthcare professionals on board to carry out the heart procedure, all the family had to now was pray for its success.
A few hours later, which were undoubtedly the most difficult in the lives of Abaan’s loved ones, it was our privilege to tell them that Abaan had defeated CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Survivor’. For him and his family, a new forever, one filled with special moments, had arrived.
As they were leaving and looking forward to living a completely normal life together, they told us how happy they were with our highly cooperative team and that they would always pray for our success. We cannot place enough emphasis on the importance of such kind words as they are genuinely a driving force 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
