October 14, 2006
The Heart Kids Blogathon 2006 - Success Story #1
On October 1st, we performed the first operation after the Heart Kids Blogathon, funded by your contributions.
Meet this little girl...
8 year old Rajeswari studies in 4th grade and had a hole in her heart called an Atrial Septal Defect.
Her father, the sole earning member of her family, is a bus driver on an inter-city route in South India. With a family income of around Rs.1,300 a month (approx. US $30), they had put off her surgery which would cost Rs.110,000.
Rajeswari gamely struggled along. Her lungs were flooded with extra blood. She suffered frequent chest infections. She was not able to play for long, stopping when she became breathless.
Her operation went off smoothly, the 25 mm. hole closed completely. 8 days later, the smiling little girl waved goodbye and set off to her hometown.
When I showed my wife (who is an engineer) the photographs of the chest xrays before and after surgery (below), even she was able to appreciate the remarkable reduction in the size of her heart once the hole had been closed.
Xray AFTER operation
In the weeks ahead, we will be carrying out many more operations like this - all made possible thanks to your wonderful support and encouragement.
Once again, I thank you from the heart for the lives you are helping our team save.