Congenital Heart Disease – Tetralogy of Fallot – Surgery sponsored by Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation – January 2015
Bipi Das is the 3 year old son of a farmer from the North Parganas in West Bengal. Born with a complex congenital heart defect – ‘Tetralogy of Fallot’ – he had not been healthy since birth and was diagnosed with heart disease before his first birthday.
Unfortunately, the family’s story was the same as thousands of others. They went to a few hospitals in the district but were told the cost of treatment would be too high for them to afford. They registered at a charitable institution for free surgery, but the waiting period was too long and the child’s symptoms were getting worse.
Eventually they were referred to Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bangalore where the operation was scheduled for January 2015. With a herculean effort, the family only managed to borrow and save up for the cost of their travel for treatment.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Dr.Mani Children Heart Foundation was able to sponsor Bipi’s open heart surgery (which was performed at a concessional rate by the hospital).
Today, a wide smile creases the faces of his relieved parents. You helped make that happen. Thank you!
A special thanks to ATMA (American Tamil Medical Association) for their substantial contribution which supported the treatment of Bipi and two other children.
