Saif’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 6,148 child heart procedures. This is the success story of 5-year-old Saif, 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.
6 months after Saif was born, signs and symptoms of CHD became noticeable. His family, based in Dera Ghazi Khan, first took him to a local hospital. Suspecting the presence of an underlying heart condition, the doctor there told them to go to Multan for a more thorough check-up.
In Multan, Saif underwent an Echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound. The results of this test confirmed that he had a potentially life-threatening CHD. The family was devastated and adding to their distress was the fact that the required treatment was relatively expensive.
Saif’s father works at a mobile phone repair shop and he was in desperate need of financial support. The search for treatment options unfortunately lasted for years during which Saif would have trouble breathing and walking. Eventually though, they finally made their way to Lahore.
This is where they met Dr. M. Asim Khan, a renowned Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon who also happens to be a PCHF Medical Advisory Board Member. During the meeting, Dr. Asim informed the family about our organization and this would be the beginning of their lives changing for the better.
Saif’s father was quick to call us and our team immediately called him in for an evaluation. Following our short process, we were pleased to inform the family that we would be able to financially support the heart surgery.
This was thanks to our incredible donor base, both organizations and individuals who we are grateful beyond measure to for supporting us. Without them, we would not be among the best when it comes to saving lives of deserving children in Pakistan born suffering from CHD.
Saif’s heart surgery was to take place at Ittefaq Hospital (Trust) in Lahore, which is one of our partner hospitals. This was just around a week after the first meeting with the family. All formalities were taken care of and a world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals was on board.
The surgery, a procedure called a Total Correction, was carried out by Dr. Asim himself and once it was complete, it was our privilege to inform Saif’s loved ones that he had defeated CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ whose resilience had proved that hope truly does endure.
The whole family was both elated and thankful to our team. At the time of discharge, they mentioned how we had exceeded their expectations by far and that they wished us continued success in all our projects. We appreciate the kind words and hope that together, they go on to have countless special moments.
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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