KOCHI: Five-year-old Evan, a devoted fan of Messi, nurtures a dream of playing football like his idol. However, a few weeks ago, Evan faced a life- threatening challenge—an existing hole in his heart that required critical surgery to survive.
The cost of the surgery, which exceeded Rs 1.5 lakh,was far beyond what his parents, Aji and Mini, could afford. Thankfully, the Hridyam project, initiated by the state government to provide support for children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), came to their rescue. Evan’s surgery was performed free of cost, and he is now on a rapid road to recovery.
“When we initially visited Kottayam Medical College Hospital, we were informed that the surgery would cost over Rs 1.5 lakh. Coming from a financially disadvantaged family, we couldn’t afford such an amount. We were concerned about losing Evan, who was born 15 years after our firstborn, Ebin,” said Mini Aji, Evan’s mother.
Aji and Mini experienced anxiety when they were uncertain about how to gather funds for their child’s life-saving heart surgery. However, their worries were alleviated when the doctors at Kottayam Medical College informed them about the Hridyam project initiated by the state government to support children with CHD.
“Everything was in place for the crucial surgery. However, as we wondered why we hadn’t received a surgery date, the cardiology department at Kottayam Medical College contacted us, stating that they couldn’t find Evan’s name in the registry,” explained Mini. With Evan’s health deteriorating with each passing day, his parents sought assistance from their ward member.
Their ward member, Saritha Baiju, then sought help from Sijo Chowvaran, the block panchayat member. Sijo inquired about the procedure and ensured that Evan was registered at the Community Health Centre in Kalady, Ernakulam.
The health centre had a nurse assigned for this purpose, and Evan’s registration was completed. Soon after, they received the surgery date. The UKG student underwent keyhole surgery to repair a hole in his heart valve. Now that Evan has successfully undergone his life- saving surgery and is on the path to recovery, their concerns are behind them.