Umme Wafa’s Success Story
Since inception in 2012, we at Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (PCHF), have financially supported 5,750 child heart procedures. This is the success story of 4-year-old Umme Wafa, who was diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) called a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).
A VSD is a birth defect in which there is a hole in the wall (septum) that separates the 2 lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. This leads to extra blood being pumped into the lungs and forces the heart to work harder. If this is not repaired the risk of heart failure or other complications like a stroke increases.
Umme Wafa was living what seemed to be a completely normal life with her family in their home city of Gujarat. One day though, her parents noticed the development of cyanosis (bluish skin) in her. Little did they do know that their lives were about to change.
She was taken to a local doctor who suspected the presence of a CHD. After undergoing an Echocardiography (ECHO), which is a cardiac ultrasound, it was confirmed that Umme Wafa had a potentially life-threatening heart condition.
Her family was stunned by the news. A life without their daughter was unimaginable for them. Somehow though, they managed to pick themselves up and started to look for treatment options. Despite having limited resources, they continued moving forward.
At a hospital in Gujarat, they were told to go to the renowned Children’s Hospital in Lahore. However, the queue there was long and Umme Wafa needed surgery as soon as possible.
Luckily, Umme Wafa’s family came across someone there who told them about our organization. This was the moment everything would start to shift for them. They called our team immediately and had a meeting scheduled.
Umme Wafa’s father works as a driver in a foreign country and being the sole breadwinner in a family of 5, he told us that they needed financial support. After swiftly evaluating the case, we were pleased to tell them that we would be able to arrange the surgery.
This was thanks to our generous donor base, both organizations and individuals who believe in our cause. We are grateful beyond measure to them and wouldn’t be considered among the best in the field of CHD without them.
Umme Wafa’s heart surgery would take place at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH), which is one of our partner hospitals. A world-class team of CHD healthcare professionals was on board and all formalities were taken care of. The family was told to remain calm and just pray for Umme Wafa.
A few very tense hours later, we were thrilled to inform them that Umme Wafa’s heart procedure was successful and that she had defeated CHD! She was now a ‘CHD Warrior’ with a story of triumph that will always be inspiring for other children with fragile heartbeats.
Her loved ones were overjoyed. At the time of discharge, they mentioned how friendly and cooperative our whole team was. They also said that they hoped for Umme Wafa to become a lawyer or part of the police so she could fight for justice. We wish them all a life filled with love and happiness.
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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