Strength
does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable spirit to
survive. When you are born into a world with the odds stacked against you, you
have two ways of looking at it: you can either let it consume you or face it
head-on. Master Rafi’s story is one of divine strength that compelled his parents
to travel to India for Bangladesh for the treatment of their baby boy. This is
their story.
“When Mohamed Rafi turned 7 months
old, we noticed a change in his behavior. As once he used to eat well and
suddenly stopped nursing, began sleeping more than usual, gradually struggled
to breathe when he laid down. He just wasn’t himself anymore, searching for
answers about our son’s condition, we rushed Master Rafi to the emergency room
at a local hospital where clinicians treated him for dehydration and suggested
a follow-up appointment with a pediatrician. A chest x-ray both ventricles
were reversed. As Baby Rafi grew, he was monitored closely, but it was apparent
that something was not right. At three years, the doctors advised us to go in
for heart surgery, we really weren’t sure if our baby would have a normal
life or life at all.
It quickly became evident that she
would need heart surgery. We wanted the best treatment for our son and weren’t
worried about the costs, that’s when a family friend suggested us to get the
treatment done in India at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai, but we were in
confusion on how to reach to India and make the arrangements for the treatment
that’s when we went online to look for a company to facilitate our trip that’s
when we came across we got in touch with Indian Health Guru Consultant to help us find the best treatment. At this point, our son was at extremely
high risk and he would need immediate specialized care. Our case manager came
through for us by providing the family with the right treatment options for at
the ideal time. After a quick deliberation, we decided to get our baby treated
at one of the best pediatric cardiology hospitals in India i.e., Fortis
Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai, a decision that may have potentially given him the best chance at life.
Indian Health Guru Consultant, to be
honest, have done a very good job. Because since we came to India, we have not
ever been stranded. They picked us from the airport straight away, took us to the
hospital, we saw Dr. Dhananjay Malankar at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai, The next day, our son had a full evaluation,
including an echocardiogram. This was by far the most difficult day for us, but
the hospital staff was extremely helpful and caring throughout the process. We
were extremely worried, counting the minutes until we had to hand his away. Then
the doctor came in and gave us a sense of calm. We took one look at his smile
and thought, everything is going to be alright'. The surgery lasted for 4-5
hours and was conducted by Dr. Dhananjay Malankar at Fortis Hospital, Mulund,
Mumbai, after the surgery he explained to us there are four chambers in a heart
with two main arteries. In our son's case, chambers and arteries were
interchanged, which is called congenitally corrected transposition of the great
arteries (CCTGA). Given the complications, he made a tunnel from the left
artery to the heart.
Dr. Dhananjay Malankar at Fortis
Hospital and his team were behind the planning of this surgery in lesser time. He
was in ICU first two days after the surgery and then shifted to a private room. One week after surgery, our son was
discharged from the hospital. At first, he had some pain, when he would hiccup
or cough he would cry. Within a few weeks, he was much better and we were ready
to make our way back to Bangladesh. There are no restrictions on his
activities. We will have to visit our primary cardiologist once a year. It's
unlikely he will need surgery again, but if he does, the Indian Health Guru Consultant team will be our choice.”
Thank You.
