Imad’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF) have helped fund 3641 life-saving heart surgeries/interventions. This is the success story of 2-year-old Imad, who was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) called a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).
A VSD is a birth defect in which there is a hole in the wall (septum) that separates the 2 upper chambers (ventricles) of the heart. This leads to extra blood being pumped into the lungs and forces the heart to work harder. If this is not repaired the risk of heart failure or other complications like a stroke increases.
When Imad was just a 6-month-old infant, he suffered a bout of pneumonia. His parents, extremely worried about his health, rushed him to a nearby hospital in their hometown of Sargodha. The doctor they met recommended Echocardiography (ECHO), a cardiac ultrasound.
That is when the hole in his heart was discovered. Surprisingly though, Imad was sent back home and just told to take certain medications for his condition. As his health worsened, the doctors then told the family to take him to Lahore for treatment as the options there were better.
Following their arrival in Lahore, they went to visit Dr. Salman A. Shah, a renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon who is also a PCHF Medical Advisory Board Member. During the meeting, the family mentioned how they would need financial support for Imad’s inevitable heart surgery.
Imad’s father is a security guard and being the sole breadwinner in a family of 4, which includes his wife and 2 children, he was able to arrange a bit over half of the funds needed. For the rest though, he needed help. Fortunately for him, that’s where we step in.
We provide the highest quality of care for children who are suffering from CHD. Every year, around 60,000 children are born with this potentially life-threatening disease in Pakistan, and a large number of them are from deserving families who are unable to afford the required treatment.
Dr. Salman was right to refer Imad’s family to us, so that they could get access to our tremendous donor base. Once the funds were taken care of, the surgery was scheduled at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH), a PCHF partner hospital, where he would perform the surgery himself.
A brilliant team of allied healthcare professionals was to be alongside him. With all other hospital-related formalities complete as well, preparations were fully done and Imad’s resilience was to be put to the test.
When the life-saving procedure was taking place, Imad’s family was hoping and praying for the best. So, a few hours later, it was a relief for them when they were informed about the surgery being a massive success! It was an emotion-filled and tremendously happy moment for them.
The entire family was full of praise for our team. Having gone through the perils of CHD, they wish that Imad grows up to become a doctor who can help other children like him, paving the way to a normal life for them.
Imad is undoubtedly the face of true courage as he thrived when he came up against an unprecedented adversity at such a young age. We feel blessed to be able to help children like him become ‘CHD Warriors’.
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 (CHHRI), 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/
#SuccessStory #CHDWarrior #VSD
#MisbahUlHaq #MySecondInnings #Misbah
#PCHF #CHHRI #Donate #Charity #Zakat
#PlayYourPartSaveLittleHearts #CHD
