Fatima’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 5,968 child heart procedures. This is the success story of 1-year-old Fatima who was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD).
An ASD is a hole in the wall (septum) between the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart. This hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs. A large, long-standing ASD can damage both the heart and lungs. Symptoms include irregular heartbeats, fatigue, swelling etc.
Initially after birth, Fatima did not show any signs of having CHD. However, a few months later, she developed cyanosis (bluish skin colour) and was also having difficulty breathing. Her parents took her to a doctor right away in their home city of Rahim Yar Khan.
She had to undergo an Echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound. The results of this test confirmed the presence of a potentially life-threatening heart condition. The family was heartbroken when the news broke.
They were told to travel to Multan for treatment options. After seeing a doctor there, Fatima’s father was told about the heart procedure needed to save his daughter’s life. It was relatively expensive.
Being the sole breadwinner in a family of 8 who works as a driver and farmer to make ends meet, he needed financial support. He was then told to travel to Lahore to search for more options.
After meeting a Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon in Lahore and discussing his ordeal, he was informed about our organization. He immediately contacted our team and this would be the beginning of his fortunes changing.
We were happy to evaluate the case and then inform him that we would be able to financially support Fatima’s heart surgery. This was thanks to our incredible donor base who we will always be grateful beyond measure to.
The surgery would take place at one of our partner hospitals, the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH). With all formalities were taken care of, the family was told that soon everything would be fine. A brilliant team of CHD healthcare professionals was on board for the surgery.
The hours during which Fatima was fighting for her life were very distressful for her family. To their credit though, they showed tremendous strength and remained composed. Once the heart surgery was complete, it was our privilege to inform them that she had defeated CHD! Fatima was now a ‘CHD Warrior’.
Following life-saving heart surgery, Fatima now has a stronger and healthier heart. Her loved ones were filled with joy and were also thankful to us for being there for them. They felt our team was very cooperative and wished us all the best in the future. We also hope they go on to have blessed lives 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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