Ali Hassan’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 5,820 child heart procedures. This is the success story of 6-year-old Ali Hassan, 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.
Just 2 months after birth, signs and symptoms of CHD started appearing in Ali Hassan. When his parents saw that he had cyanosis as well, they took him to a local doctor in their hometown of Kasur.
They were told to have him undergo an Echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound. The results of this test confirmed the presence of a potentially fatal birth defect.
Ali Hassan’s family was heartbroken by the news. They were informed by their doctor that he would eventually need surgery but first they needed to try medication. This meant that they would be living a life full of caution.
Little did they know that this would last for years and with time his condition kept on worsening. Eventually, they were told that surgery was the only option and when Ali Hassan’s father was told about the estimated cost of the required procedure, he was left in even more distress.
Being the sole breadwinner in a family of 10 and working as a labourer, he was in desperate need of financial support. He visited the prestigious Children’s Hospital in Lahore but the waiting queue there meant that his son’s surgery could not be scheduled for quite a while.
When all hope seemed lost, he met a well-wisher who enlightened him on the work that our organization does for families such as his. He felt like a ray of light had finally entered his life and that there was at least potential for change now.
He called our team immediately and they called him in for a meeting. When Ali Hassan was examined here, we were pleased to tell his father that we would be able to schedule his son’s surgery.
This was thanks to our generous donor base, both organizations and individuals who believe in our cause. We are grateful beyond measure to them and wouldn’t be considered among the best in the field of CHD without them.
Ali Hassan’s surgery would take place at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH), which is one of our partner hospitals. Dr. Salman Shah, a renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon and PCHF Medical Advisory Board Member, would carry out the procedure alongside a brilliant team.
When the procedure was taking place, Ali Hassan’s family was worried but remained strong as he fought for his life. A few hours later, it was our privilege to inform them that he had defeated CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ with a healthy future ahead.
Ali Hassan’s loved ones, especially his father, were overwhelmed with emotion. They were thankful to us and at the time of discharge, his father mentioned how he now had renewed faith in humanity and that he hoped that Ali would grow up to become a good person. We wish them a great future together.
For CHD affected families, no matter how hard things get, no matter how impossible things may seem, we at PCHF – charity you can trust with all your heart, 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, as a Board Member and Brand Ambassador of our flagship project, Pakistan’s first dedicated Children’s Heart Hospital & Research Institute.
You can join us as well and donate towards child heart treatment or our state-of-the-art healthcare facility. Together, let’s do our utmost to save young lives and help shape a brighter future. To donate towards healing little hearts: https://pchf.org.pk/donate/
https://pchf.org.pk/banks-list/
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