Shan’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 5,952 child heart procedures. This is the success story of 6-year-old Shan Haider, 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.
Shan was a child who used to get easily fatigued and he also had cyanosis. When Shan’s signs and symptoms started worsening, his family took him to a hospital in their hometown of Sitpur which is located inthe Muzaffargarh District of South Punjab, a mainly agricultural area.
The doctor there told Shan’s father that he suspected the presence of a CHD. To confirm this, the family travelled all the way to Karachi. There, Shan was properly diagnosed and he did have a potentially life-threatening heart condition.
His family was told that he needed heart surgery as soon as possible. This left them devastated. To make matters worse, they were also told that the required procedure was relatively expensive. Shan’s father, who works as a labourer and is the sole breadwinner in a family of 5, needed financial support.
He went to multiple hospitals in the areas near his hometown but could not get help. Then one day, he visited a landlord who said that he should go to Lahore and visit our organization. This would be the beginning of everything changing for Shan and his loved ones.
Shan’s father called us and our team immediately told him to come for a meeting. Not having enough money, his father used to work extra hours to earn enough so he could take Shan to various hospitals.
When he brought Shan to us our team swiftly evaluated the case and we were pleased to inform them that thanks to our incredible donor base, we would be able to financially support his heart surgery. After so much struggle and heartache, things were finally beginning to turn around for the family.
The surgery would take place at one of our partner hospitals, the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH) with all formalities were taken care of. A world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals was on board to help Shan in the fight for his life.
The family was praying throughout the few hours that the surgery took place. They were told that Shan was in the best of hands and once the procedure was complete, we were thrilled to inform them that he had overcome his CHD! He was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ with a second chance at a normal life.
What began as hope eventually turned into a beautiful reality for both Shan and his loved ones. At the time of discharge, Shan’s father told us how grateful they all were to us and that they wished us continued success. We also wish them a bright future ahead!
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/
#SuccessStory #CHDWarrior #TOF
#MisbahUlHaq #MySecondInnings #Misbah
#CHD #ConqueringCHD #CHDAwareness
#ACharityYouCanTrustWithAllYourHeart
#HealingLittleHearts
