Ismail’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 5,264 child heart surgeries. This is the success story of 3-year-old Ismail, 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.
Ismail’s family is from Dipalpur, located on a bank of the river Ravi. Around 2 months after his birth, his family noticed that he was having breathing difficulties. They immediately took him to the renowned Children’s Hospital in Lahore.
That is where Ismail had to undergo an Echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound. The results of this test confirmed the presence of a potentially fatal CHD. This left Ismail’s family members in a state of shock.
Adding to their woes was the fact that Ismail’s father needed financial support for his son’s treatment. Also, the queue for children awaiting treatment at Children’s Hospital was massive.
They needed to search for different options and that process turned out to be a long one. Eventually though, an acquaintance of theirs told them about our organization. This would be the turning point in their pursuit for happiness.
When it comes to saving lives of deserving children suffering from CHD, we are among the very best in the country. Ismail’s father scheduled a meeting with us right away and was told that we would do our utmost for his son.
After a swift financial evaluation, the family was given the encouraging news that we would fully sponsor Ismail’s treatment. This was possible because of our incredible donor base, which includes both organizations and individuals who believe in our cause.
The procedure would be carried out by Dr. Salman Shah, a Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon who is also a PCHF Medical Advisory Board Member. With all other formalities also taken care of, the surgery was scheduled at our very own Cardiac Care Center at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH).
A world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals was on board and Ismail’s family was told that everything possible had been done in terms of preparation. All they had to do know was pray for everything to go well.
This is easier said than done and the next few hours during which the surgery was taking place were probably the most distressful moments in the lives of Ismail’s family members who were present. Once it was complete though, it was our privilege to inform them that Ismail had overcome CHD!
He was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ and his loved ones were extremely proud of the resilience that he had shown in the face of an unprecedented challenge. They were also grateful beyond measure to our entire team and wished us continued success in all our projects.
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 PCHF 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 hospital construction. 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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