5-month-old baby, Rohaan’s, life was spared when he recently underwent surgery to treat his rare congenital heart condition, surgery that almost didn’t happen, reported Times Of India. His parents, Muhammad Faisal Javaid and Mehwish Mukhtar, were forced to travel with the baby from Lahore to Pakistan for treatment. Thankfully, the surgery was successful and they are able to return to their home this week.
Rohaan suffers from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, also known as HLHS. He was diagnosed just days after his birth. This disease happens when the left ventricle of the heart doesn’t properly pump oxygenated blood to the rest of the body, therefore, the right ventricle takes over its duties, exhausting the heart altogether. Essentially, the underdevelopment of the left side of the heart affects the way the blood flows out of the heart. It also affects the patients lung pressure, breathing and weight. To learn more about this rare condition, click here.
When the family learned of Rohaan’s condition they were extremely worried, since they were not having success obtaining an Indian medical visa. Thankfully, his father took a smart approach to appeal to the external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, on Twitter, the same exact path many other Pakistani families with health emergencies had success with. Quickly, Sushma told officials to generate medical visas for Rohaan and the family. Muhammad knows that if you don’t ask, you don’t receive.
Doctors had told the family if Rohaan didn’t receive surgery within a month, then he would most likely die. They had no choice but to reach out to the minister, and sure enough, even quicker than they had thought, she responded positively and made a decision to push them through for visas. The family is very thankful for the actions that allowed their son to continue living. They had a great experience in India and are grateful for the outcome.
