Hareem Fatima: The 3-Year-Old 1 in 100!
‘Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.’ – Henry Ward Beecher, Social Reformer
Since our inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have helped 2582 children get heart surgery. This is the inspirational success story of the 3-year-old 1 in 100 Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) survivor, Hareem Fatima. Hareem was diagnosed with a CHD known as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD).
ASD is a hole in the septum (wall) between the two upper chambers of your heart (atria). The hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs. A large, long-standing ASD can damage the heart and lungs.
We provide the highest quality of care for children with heart disease, irrespective of their financial means. Every year, around 60,000 children are born with CHD in Pakistan, and a large majority of these children are unable to get the treatment required due to lack of facilities, personnel and the high costs involved. That is where we step in.
Working at a relatively low wage, Hareem’s father supports his entire household, which includes his wife and 4 children. Due to a severe lack of funds, he desperately needed our help to save his child’s precious life. The whole family had huge expectations from our highly reputable organization, and were looking to us to end their continuous struggle.
Hareem’s family found out about the hole in her heart after she was suffering from the ill-effects of a rapid heartbeat. After continuously going to Children’s Hospital Lahore for around two years, because of the enormous waiting list, they could not get her the required treatment. That’s when they came to us, and another fellow NGO, Transparent Hands.
Thankfully, their long-standing prayers were answered, as the planned treatment, ASD Closure, was scheduled as quickly as possible, at the University Of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH), funded entirely by us. Blessedly, the surgery was a massive success and after spending a few days under the intensive care of our phenomenal medical staff, Hareem Fatima left as a CHD Warrior. A father who was distraught, a mother who was distressed, siblings who couldn’t imagine a life without their sister, can now live the life they always dreamed of, one full of happiness.
Children born with CHD can help shape a brighter future for our country and they vitally require your support. Legendary Pakistani cricketer, Misbah Ul Haq, has also joined us on the journey to conquering CHD in Pakistan, by helping build the nation’s first dedicated, state-of-the-art Children’s Heart Hospital and Research Institute (CHHRI).
You can donate towards children’s heart surgeries or hospital construction at:
#MySecondInnings #Donate #Charity #PCHF #CHHRI #CHD #Zakat #Hajj
