Mashal Zaib: A 1-Year-Old CHD Warrior
Since our inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have helped 2477 children get heart surgery. This is the tremendous success story of an incredibly brave 1-year-old Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) survivor, Mashal Zaib. Mashal was diagnosed with a CHD known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). Her parents were completely stunned and terrified. They were willing to do whatever it took to save their little girl.
‘History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children.’ Nelson Mandela
PDA is an unclosed hole in the aorta. Before a baby is born, the fetus’s blood does not need to go to the lungs to get oxygenated. The Ductus Arteriosus is a hole that allows the blood to skip the circulation to the lungs. However, when the baby is born, the blood must receive oxygen in the lungs and this hole is supposed to close. If it is still open, the blood may skip this necessary step of circulation.
We provide the highest quality of care for children with heart disease, irrespective of their financial means. Each 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.
Mashal Zaib’s family came to us, all the way from Nowshera. They came full of optimism and were hopeful of ending their hardship. Mashal’s father, Muhammad Zaib, holds a MPhil degree in Political Science and is a teacher at a government school, and her mother, Kainat, is a housewife. Thankfully, their prayers were answered as the planned treatment for Mashal, PDA ligation, was scheduled through a swift, smooth and extremely efficient process. With their limited resources, they still managed to arrange half of the required funds, with the other half provided by us. Blessedly, the surgery was a massive success, and after a few days in the hospital under the special care of our brilliant team of healthcare professionals, Mashal was discharged. Muhammad and Kainat are now proud parents of a CHD warrior.
We made a real difference in the lives of Mashal Zaib and her family. Turning their dream of living a wonderful life together into reality. Thousands of children like Mashal, who are the future of our country, 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
