“My son’s heart problem was diagnosed over 8 months ago. We haven’t been able to gather money till now. The pressure in his heart has increased so much. I was told that anything can happen to him, his heart can fail suddenly. He’s not even a year old and he can’t even speak, but one look at him and we can see that he’s suffering so much” – Neeraj, Abhir’s father

11-month-old Abhir is suffering from a dangerous congenital heart disease. The obstruction of blood flow in the infant’s heart has put him at high risk of succumbing to heart failure. His father, a poor worker at a retail shop, is shaken because he just can’t seem to save his son, despite struggling in vain for the past 8 months.

Abhir’s tiny heart is failing him with each passing day

When Abhir turned 2 months old, he would breathe very heavily and he’d just not stop coughing. A 2D Echo test revealed that the baby was suffering from a congenital heart disease known as aortic stenosis, which is a birth defect in Abhir’s heart causing major obstruction of blood flow to the body, resulting in the baby’s heart beating faster for oxygen. Neeraj and his wife, Rajni, were stunned because their baby was facing death within the first 90 days of birth.

“There was so much congestion in his chest too. He would cough for so long that he would end up in tears. His face would become so red. He breathes so rapidly, it just seems abnormal. He is so susceptible to infections too, so for nearly 8 months, we haven’t even let him touch or play on the ground. He’s just been sitting on a bed. It’s so sad to see our baby unable to play or even move properly” – Neeraj

Abhir’s heart surgery should have happened months ago, but his parents could not arrange money due to their poverty

Due to the lack of funds, Abhir has been unable to undergo a heart surgery. It has been delayed for months. The pressure in Abhir’s heart has skyrocketed in the past 6 months and this has only put the baby’s heart at high risk of failure.

“I am so frightened. There are absolutely no symptoms that hints at the seriousness of his disease. My son can’t even tell us that he’s suffering.  Anything can happen at any time and we can’t even tell. He needs the heart surgery soon, but just hearing the word surgery I get upset because I know it’s expensive and I’ve never even seen such a big amount in my entire life” – Neeraj

This desperate father's race against time is tearing apart his hopes to save his baby boy

“All my life, I’ve worked as a salesman at a small retail shop that sells clothes. I make around Rs. 250/day and I have to feed my wife, my newborn and my 5-year-old son, Prabir.  In between, I didn't go for work as I was taking care of Abhir and I got fired. I had to get another job. My dad passed away and my mom keeps having health issues, and I have to look after her as well. My son’s heart is failing and Prabir keeps asking me ‘Why is my brother not okay? When happened to him and why can’t I play with him?’. It breaks my heart because i have no answer” – Neeraj

How you can help

11-month-old Abhir doesn’t have long before his heart collapses due to extremely high pressure. The baby’s only hope of survival is to undergo an urgent heart surgery which has been delayed for months. Neeraj is so poor that he has absolutely no way of affording this and he can’t do it without your help.