BENGALURU: Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has stepped out of the cricket ground and is helping children suffering from congenital heart disease (CHD). Calling it his third innings, he pledged to help such children on his 72nd birthday in 2021 and has managed to help over 200 children till now.
Gavaskar started this initiative to serve 35 children marking 35 centuries, with the Heart to Heart Foundation and Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital. He believes that there is nothing better than getting a second chance at leading a healthy life for a child born with CHD. He was present at the 50th meeting of the Heart to Heart Foundation organised in association with the Rotary Club Bangalore and Sri Sai Health and Education Trust in Bengaluru on Saturday.
He is the board of governor for Heart to Heart Foundation which has been associated with Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals for the past few years. The institution has performed 28,000 surgeries ‘free of cost’ with a success rate of 99 per cent.
Around 2,40,000 children in India (eight out of 1,000 live births) are born with CHD and it is one of the most common causes of infant mortality. It was noted that if untreated, 25 per cent of children won’t make it to their first birthday without medical/surgical care.
While India is also competing in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Gavaskar also said that the team, especially bowlers, has been performing very well and he is hoping that they will bring the cup home this time. Inspired by his cricket journey, the legendary cricketer now wishes to help other children and see the sense of joy on the faces of parents from economically weaker sections who struggle to fund the treatment for their children.
The Sri Sai Sathya Sanjeevani Hospital caters to everything required for the child to survive with outpatient care, diagnostics services, medicines and consumables, counselling and post-operative care. They are soon inaugurating the fourth hospital in Telangana in January.