Irtaza’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 5,644 child heart procedures. This is the success story of 14-year-old Irtaza, 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.
Irtaza was born it the city of Khanewal, a region known for its Sufi heritage along with once flourishing trade and commerce. Right after birth, he was diagnosed with CHD. This left Irtaza’s family, especially his father, very disturbed.
He needed immediate heart surgery and his father who works as a farmer somehow managed to arrange funds for it despite being the sole breadwinner in a family of 5. However, even after the procedure, Irtaza had to face numerous challenges growing up.
He had development delays and used to fall sick often. After being taken to a hospital in Multan, his family was told that a second surgery was needed. This time, Irtaza’s father needed financial support.
In the search for treatment options, he eventually made his way to Lahore where he met Dr. M. Asim Khan, a Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon. This is where his fortunes would finally change.
After listening to everything the family had been through, Dr. Khan being a PCHF Medical Advisory Board Member, referred the family to us. Irtaza’s father wasted no time whatsoever in contacting us. Our team called them in to be evaluated.
Once this process was complete, we were pleased to tell them that we would be able to support Irtaza’s heart surgery. This was thanks to our incredible donor base, both organizations and individuals who believe in our cause.
We will always be grateful beyond measure for their support. Without them, we would not be among the nation’s premier organizations in the field of CHD. Long may this continue.
Once all formalities were taken care of, Irtaza’s surgery was scheduled at Ittefaq Hospital (Trust) Lahore. Dr. Khan would carry out the procedure alongside a world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals. The family was told that in terms of preparation, everything possible had been done.
Throughout the procedure, Irtaza’s family members remained calm even though this was probably the most difficult time of their lives. However, their hardship was to end as after the surgery, it was our privilege to inform them that Irtaza had defeated CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ whose inner strength prevailed.
Irtaza’s loved ones were overjoyed as after over a decade of navigating through life’s challenges, they finally had a normal life together to look forward to. They thanked our entire team and hoped that Irtaza could go on to become a good human being who everyone could count on. We fully concur!
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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