Subhan’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 4,382 child heart surgeries. This is the success story of 5-year-old Subhan, who was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD).
An ASD is a hole in the wall (septum) between the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart. This hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs. A large, long-standing ASD can damage both the heart and lungs. Symptoms include irregular heartbeats, fatigue, swelling etc.
Around a year before his heart surgery, Subhan had a chest infection. He also used to experience breathing problems at times and always had a small appetite. Not knowing the severity of the issue at hand, his parents first took him to a local doctor in their home city of Lala Musa, which is in the Gujrat District.
Following the medical check-up, Subhan’s doctor recommended an Echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound. His parents then had to travel to Rawalpindi for this test, the results of which would confirm the potentially fatal heart condition of Subhan.
This news was extremely distressful for Subhan’s family and adding to their woes was the fact that the required treatment was relatively expensive. Subhan’s father, who works as a shopkeeper at a garments store and solely supports his family of 6, needed financial support.
He first travelled all the way to the renowned Children’s Hospital in Lahore. However, because of the long waiting list there, he took Subhan to another hospital in Lahore, Bahria International Hospital Orchard (BIHO).
BIHO is a partner hospital of ours and the doctors there informed Subhan’s parents about our organization. Hearing about us was encouraging for them and they wasted no time in contacting us.
Following a meeting with our team, the case was assessed and the family was then told that we would be able to financially support the heart surgery. We were going to do our utmost to save Subhan’s life and being blessed with a generous donor base, the funds for the procedure were arranged swiftly.
Subhan’s father also commendably arranged a significant part of the funds that were needed. Hospital-related formalities were then taken care of and the surgery was scheduled at BIHO with a world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals on board for the procedure called an ASD Closure.
The family was then told that in terms of preparation, everything possible had been done and their son’s life was in the best of hands. All they had to do now was pray for this surgery to be a success, like the thousands of successful surgeries we have financially supported.
During the few hours when the intricate procedure was taking place and Subhan was fighting for his life, his loved ones were also going through a very difficult time. Following its completion though, it was our privilege to tell them that Subhan’s heart had been healed. He had defeated CHD!
His family was elated and so proud of their little ‘CHD Warrior’. They were also grateful beyond measure to our team and said that they would always pray for our success. They left so inspired that they hoped for Subhan to become a doctor one day, so he could also help others like we helped him.
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, by helping build the nation’s first dedicated Children’s Heart Hospital & Research Institute, as a PCHF Board Member.
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. Play your part, save little hearts: https://pchf.org.pk/donate/
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