Celebrating Our Fathers

“When My Father didn’t have my hand…..he had my back”

Linda Poindexter

Fathers – the unsung heroes, the epitome of love and sacrifice and the pillars on which most of us have built our lives.

Many of us have been blessed with fathers or that one person who takes on the role of the fatherly figure. For some of us, our fathers have been the bread winners of the family, for some the voice of reason and calm, for some the image of unadulterated love, for some the one person who will always be able to whip up a solution to our life’s problem – the list is endless.

For our children at the Foundation, their fathers are the critical link between the defect in their heart and a chance at life.

And this month we celebrate and honour these very important pillars for our children and our families – Our Fathers. Without them, we would never be able to reach where we are and save our little hearts.

They are the first point of contact in the diagnosis and treatment of our children. Very often our families live in areas which are far away from cardiac care centers. It has usually been the fathers who found the information, organised the transport and raised the donation for children to bring them to the centers for support. Drivers, daily contractual labourers, peons, painters, tailors – these are some of the professions the fathers of our children come from.  Not only they throw themselves in identifying the right help needed for their child but do what they can to raise donation for children to be able to save their child.

Organising the funds for treating the children is one of the biggest challenges our fathers face. Every single father we have met is willing to do what it takes to raise those funds- from taking loans, to working extra to selling off assets, it does not matter to them as long as they can treat their child. The distance does not matter, the money does not matter – what matters to them is their child will have a chance to live.

“My daughter was really weak, and she could not play or eat properly. I was really worried for her and when the doctor told me that I will need to take her to Gurgaon for a treatment for a defect in her heart, I decided that I would do what I can to help her,” – father of a little girl I met at Paras Hospitals, Gurugram. With folded hands and tears streaming down his face he could not stop thanking for the support he got to save his lifeline.

I met another father from Bhatinda in Punjab. His moist eyes were an ocean of emotions – sadness, exhaustion, worry, hope and dreams. His mission was to save his little baby and he would do what he could to save him. Unfortunately, when it comes to the arranging the finances it becomes difficult for them to raise such high funds for treatment. And that is where we are able to step in – to let no father or mother have to go through the frustration on not having the funds to give their child a chance at life.

One of our Father’s with his son at the Hospital

As a children’s charity, we get to meet many such heroes. The fathers of our children are our unsung heroes who silently fight the biggest battles of their lives. They work day and night to be able raise funds for their child’s treatment. From running with their children from one doctor to another, organising the funds to pay for all the bills, connecting to a children’s charity, encouraging and supporting the rest of the family especially the mothers and the child, to camping in the hospitals often in corridors to be near their child, these men are the real heroes. It is their strength that pulls these children through the diagnosis and towards a life where they can breathe – where they can dream and get the wings to chase their dreams.

The love, strength and dedication our fathers give to their families is unparalleled. They ensure that the child gets the treatment inspite of all the small and big issues that they have to face. Whatever the challenges are, they carry it on their shoulders,

We thank our fathers for the spectacular roles they play. To our silent heroes who are always there for us – we salute you, we honour you and celebrate you today and always.

This Fathers Day, help us ensure that no father has to struggle to organise funds to save his child of a heart defect.

Your contribution can bring a smile to a father waiting to get a surgery for his child Donate now