42-year-old Dinesh has a congenital heart problem that was not treated due to lack of advancement in medicine when it was diagnosed in the 70s. His heart condition slowly deteriorated over the years causing heart failure, affecting his work life and income. His wife is the only earning member in the family of four, and the income is insufficient to cover the expenses for a heart transplant can currently save his life.
A lifetime of pain
Dinesh was born in 1974, immediately diagnosed with a cardiac condition called Single Ventricle Defect (where the lower compartment of the heart is either underdeveloped, has a hole or is missing) which should be ideally treated at infancy. As medicine had not advanced at the time, the doctors prescribed basic medicines to manage the disorder.
As a civil engineer, Dinesh wasn’t able to subject himself to physical stress like his colleagues. When he consulted the doctor to understand his condition, he was told that he needed a bidirectional Glenn shunt to improve cardiac function due to the single ventricle defect that had deteriorated his heart. Soon, when he still had trouble, he underwent Coil Embolization of MAPCAS, a procedure that is used to treat congenital heart conditions in adults. After this, Dinesh was on regular medications to manage his disorder.
The last option to stay alive
Unfortunately, Dinesh developed Congestive Cardiac failure in 2015 and was admitted to the hospital. He has been advised to opt for a heart transplant as a treatment option to increase his chances of survival. Dinesh was added to the transplant list and then was discharged from the hospital until a matching heart became available.
The family is now waiting for a donor and the transplant should ideally take place at the earliest to save Dinesh from the brink of death.
“We don’t have the heart or the funds”
Dinesh quit going to work when his heart began affecting his daily activities, and became totally dependent on his wife, Radha, for income. She works as a receptionist in the medical sector and earns about Rs. 15,000 a month, which feeds a family of four including living expenses, school fees for the children and medical expenses.
“Now we are not just waiting for a heart to show up, we are also waiting for a way to fund this transplant. It feels like something or the other is getting in the way.”
The family has nil savings at the moment as everything has gone towards Dinesh’s treatment so far. The cost transplant is estimated at Rs. 15,00,000 with additional Rs. 5,00,000 towards post-operative treatment. Family and friends have helped them gather Rs. 5,00,000 towards the total medical expenses and they still have to fund the rest of the money.
How can you help?
When they find a donor heart, Dinesh should have the funds immediately ready for the surgery or he could lose out and be back on the transplant list. Your support can go a long way in saving Dinesh’s life in time.
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