Abdul’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF) have helped fund 4090 life-saving child heart surgeries. This is the success story of 2-year-old Abdul, who was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) called Tetralogy Of Fallot (TOF).
In TOF, 4 related heart defects affect blood flow. In most cases, too little blood goes to the lungs. Low-oxygen blood then circulates to the rest of the body and not enough oxygen can reach body tissues. Children with TOF often have cyanosis, a blue or purple tint to the skin, lips and fingernails.
Abdul started suffering from signs and symptoms of CHD as an infant. His parents, initially not realising the severity of the situation, thought he was just having routine bouts of sickness.
However, when Abdul’s illness was not subsiding, eventually they took him for a medical check-up in their hometown of Kasur. The doctor there, after a thorough examination, told the family to get Abdul tested through having an Echocardiography (ECHO), a cardiac ultrasound, as he suspected CHD.
When the results came in and the presence of TOF was confirmed, Abdul’s parents were in a state of absolute shock. Discovering that their son had a life-threatening disease changed their whole world in an instant.
They had no time to waste though and immediately had to start searching from treatment options. They first made their way to renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Dr. Mohammad Asim Khan, in Lahore. Dr. Asim also happens to be a PCHF Medical Advisory Board Member, and he referred the family to us.
Abdul’s father, who works as a Data Entry Operator and is the sole breadwinner in his family, needed financial support. That’s where we come in. Being blessed with an exceptional donor base, both individuals and organizations who believe in our mission, we were swiftly able to arrange funds.
We are thankful beyond measure to one of our generous donors, Ms. Natasha Ali Lakhani, who stepped up and through her donation we were able to schedule Abdul’s surgery at one of our partner hospitals, Ittefaq Hospital (Trust) in Lahore, with a word-class team of CHD healthcare professionals on board.
With pre-surgery preparation complete and a highly intricate procedure to follow, Abdul’s family was told not to worry and just pray for everything to go well. Abdul was about go through a life-altering procedure and needed all the support possible.
The hours that followed were extremely stressful for Abdul’s loved ones but all of them remained a symbol of courage and strength throughout. Abdul also had tremendous fighting spirit as he defeated CHD and we were thrilled to inform his parents that the surgery was a resounding success!
Abdul was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ and his family was filled with emotion. They could not contain their happiness and tears of joy. They were grateful to us for everything we had done for them and wished us continued success in all our projects. A completely normal life full of special moments awaits them.
For CHD affected families, no matter how hard things get, no matter how impossible things may seem, we are here for you. Our goal is to ensure that not a single child born with CHD in Pakistan remains untreated.
Legendary Pakistani cricketer, Misbah Ul Haq, is also alongside us on our journey to conquering CHD, by helping build the nation’s first dedicated Children’s Heart Hospital & Research Institute, as a PCHF Board Member.
You can join us as well and donate towards child heart treatment or hospital construction. Together, let’s do our utmost to save young lives and help shape a brighter future. Play your part, save little hearts: https://pchf.org.pk/donate/
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