Billiards champion’s generosity sees six-month-old through heart surgery

Narayan Swamy and his wife were on cloud nine when they were blessed with a baby girl. Little did they know that worries would come calling five months later.

The toddler was detected with a hole in her heart which necessitated an immediate surgery. With an earning of about Rs100 a day, arranging over Rs1 lakh was next to impossible for Swamy, a coolie.

Relief came in the form of famous billiards player, Pankaj Advani, also known as the ‘smiling assassin’. The ace cueist, who brought laurels to the country in the recently-concluded Asiad in Guangzhou, China, played Santa to the baby.

He sponsored the entire amount required for the surgery.

Doctors at Narayana Hrudayalaya, one of the largest paediatric heart hospitals in the world where an open heart surgery could be done on the baby, said that post-operation, she would get a fresh lease of life.

The baby was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, immediately after receiving a cheque of Rs70,000 from Advani.

“She was five months old when one day, she was running high temperature. We took her to a paediatric clinic in the locality where the hole in the heart was diagnosed. She was referred to Narayana Hrudayalaya for further investigations and treatment,” said Swamy.

When Swamy explained his financial condition to the doctors at Narayana Hrudayalaya, he was referred to Have a Heart Foundation, a non-profit organisation working for the poor since a decade.

“I can somehow make my living by earning about Rs100 every day. I could have never afforded to treat my daughter. Thanks to Have a Heart Foundation and Pankaj Advani, my daughter will get cured,” said an emotional Swamy.

A humble Advani said his contribution was like a drop in an ocean.

“Out of an estimated 24 lakh people who need heart surgery every year, only 60,000 surgeries are performed, as very few can afford the Rs1,40,000 to Rs2,50,000 needed for it. So, my contributions are like drops in the ocean,” he said.

A trustee of the Have a Heart Foundation who is a family friend approached Advani for the treatment of the six-month-old baby.

This is the 2,000th heart surgery arranged by the foundation.

While the normal cost of this surgery including room rent, nursing care, ICU charges, operation theatre charges, consumables, surgeons’ fees, anaesthetist’s fees, etc comes to Rs1,40,000, Dr Devi Shetty, chairman of Narayana Health City, has reduced 50% of the cost as his part of contribution towards the poor and the needy, thus bringing this life-saving surgery closer to reality for the poor.

The patient contributes as much as he or she can, which is anything between Rs5,000 to Rs50,000. The balance amount is donated by the foundation.