Hearts and Smiles – Priyadarshini

Not quite smiling, but then you can’t blame little PRIYADARSHINI – she’s barely two years old!  The weak, malnourished girl weighed just 7 kilograms, her heart laboring under the strain of an overload of blood rushing through her large Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).

The pressure in her lungs had built up to the point where breathing itself was hard work, and she fell sick frequently with chest colds, needing hospitalization once for an attack of pneumonia.

Her parents, daily wage laborers in a village near Kanchipuram, couldn’t afford the expense of heart surgery.  But thanks to the sponsored scheme of the State Government aided by support from generous donors, the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation was able to carry out her surgery.

She sailed through like a star, recovering fast from an operation that typically will keep an adult grounded for a week or longer!  And as the family prepared to leave hospital a week later, the relief on her parents’ faces is silent testimony to the power of your help and support.

Thank you from my  heart for making this happen.

Hearts & Smiles – Parveen

When I asked the 9 year old girl to smile, she gave a wide, “toothless” grin! This was four days after she had open heart surgery to repair her Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).

Parveen lives in a major metropolis, yet her treatment had to be put off because her parents could not afford surgery. The monthly household income was Rs.3,000 while her operation would cost almost forty times as much!

But on February 4th, 2010, Parveen had her congenital heart defect fixed.

The reason this was possible is because generous supporters donated much needed funds to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – and this sponsored the expenses of her treatment.

Now, her entire family is smiling – including Parveen’s little sister who is barely 3 years old! You helped make this possible. Thank you for your support.

Hearts & Smiles – Rashida

Rashida is a twelve year old seventh grade student who was diagnosed to have a hole in her heart after she fainted once at school.

Her condition, a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), required treatment earlier in childhood – but her family could not afford the expense.

So Rashida waited – until a trip to Chennai led to her being sent to us for surgery through the State Government sponsored referral program.

Her heart defect was a unique form of VSD called a Gerbode variant, where blood from her left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart) returns back to the right side through a hole in not just the ventricular septam, but also in her tricuspid heart valve.

The surgery to fix this problem was carried out successfully on 1st February, 2010. The expenses were covered through donations generously granted to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation, which has sponsored over 50 similar operations until now.

Her parents are smiling. So is their daughter. And I hope you are smiling too as you read this – because YOU helped put a smile on so many faces!

Thank you from my heart.

Hearts & Smiles – Shalini

This shy, quiet little girl is 5 year old Shalini, a pre-schooler from Perambalur district who was referred to us for treatment of her heart condition.

Affected by a congenital heart defect called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Shalini was easily tired and breathless whenever she played games.

Also, she frequently fell ill with chest colds and infections which kept her in bed, even needing hospitalisation once when it was severe.

Her heart problem was picked up during a screening health camp. Shalini’s parents, casual labourers whose income could scarcely fund the costly treatment she needed, brought her to Chennai where she was referred to us.

Thanks to generous donations made by our donors, Shalini’s heart surgery to fix her ASD was carried out on January 30th, 2010, the third of many operations part-funded by the Rotary Club Chennai Tower branch.

Her sweet smile still lights up her little face, and is now matched by a smile of relief on her parents’ faces too.

Thank you for helping put it there!

Hearts & Smiles – Gopinath

Gopinath is barely 5 years old – and a bundle of energy and excitement. He can’t sit still for a minute, and it’s hard to believe that inside his little heart is a hole that’s flooding his lungs with extra blood.

The little boy had an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), a congenital heart defect that caused him to get breathless and tired easily.

His parents live and work in Vellore, and said they only earn around Rs.1,500 a month which is why they brought their son to a Government hospital for his expensive treatment.

Under the Govt. sponsored scheme, Gopinath was referred to us and with money raised through donations to the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation, his operation was successfully performed on 29th January, 2010.

A couple of days later, the happy young man was running around the hospital corridors, cheering up other kids who had come for their operations and grinning widely at his parents who smiled right back.

These are smiles you helped make possible. Thank you!

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