Moryam Akter N., 7

Moryam Akter Nondini is a cheerful 7-year-old girl who loves drawing and dreams of becoming a primary school teacher. She lives with her parents, two siblings, and elderly grandparents in a seven-member family, while her father, Md. Shafiqul Islam Razo, is the sole earner, working as a tenant farmer and earning only USD 81 per month, which is barely enough to meet the family’s daily needs. Despite borrowing small amounts from her maternal uncle, the family cannot afford the cost of Nondini’s life-saving heart surgery. Nondini has suffered from breathing difficulties, recurrent chest infections, and poor growth since birth and is now diagnosed with ventricular septal defect and a prolapsed heart valve, requiring stabilization and open-heart surgery; she was referred to Helpster Charity by the pediatric cardiac team at NICVD. Without timely surgery, her heart condition may progressively worsen, leading to permanent heart damage, severe complications, heart failure, and potentially life-threatening deterioration.

Hospitalization, medical optimization, and intracardiac repair surgery are expected to correct the ventricular septal defect and associated right coronary cusp prolapse, improve Nondini’s breathing, and reduce recurrent respiratory infections. With successful surgery, appropriate postoperative care, and regular cardiac follow-up, she is expected to have improved functional capacity and better growth and quality of life. If left untreated, the cardiac defect may continue to place excessive strain on the heart and lungs, potentially causing worsening breathlessness, recurrent infections, poor growth, progressive valve damage, pulmonary complications, and heart failure. In severe cases, these complications may become life-threatening.