A Second Chance at Life: Congenital Heart Defect

Life is the most beautiful gift one can offer. It is the most joyous moment in the lives of parents. The new life in the form of a newborn child brings a wave of joy and happiness. Every parent wants to feel this happiness and plans the best for their child. But not every family can experience the same pleasure. There are a lot of birth defects that may hinder a normal life, and congenital heart defects are one of the most common birth defects in India.

Nearly 200,000 children are born with these congenital heart defects in India that can pose immediate or long-term health problems. Congenital Heart Defects are the structural abnormalities of the heart or blood vessels that are present at birth. While health as a whole has received much attention from both the government and the development sector, and even at the international stage in the form of incorporating good health as part of the Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 3. But Congenital Heart Defect in particular has not received much attention. There are only a handful of NGOs working for children suffering from congenital heart defect, Genesis Foundation, an NGO in Haryana, is one of the best NGO’s working for the cause of CHD and support the child hear treatment at highly subsidised rates or even for free for the families who could not afford these costly treatments. They support all the children between 0-18 years of age and whose families are earning less than 20,000 per month.

The vision of Genesis Foundation is to ensure that no child shall die of CHD due to paucity of funds or lack of awareness. Thus, Genesis Foundation tries to live this vision in both letter and spirit. Recognizing the lack of awareness and high costs as barriers to receiving timely treatment, Genesis Foundation has become a leading NGO in Haryana that caters to children suffering from Congenital Heart Defects across India. They have a huge network of partner hospitals in different states of India that provide quality care and child heart treatment. They have been able to give a ray of HOPE, a reason to smile and fight back the adversities of life with grace.

For families finding themselves directionless and in turbulent waters, Genesis Foundation has guided them through these rough waters and has engaged in an empathetic way.

From the moment a child is identified for a Congenital Heart Defect till they receive the treatment, the foundation’s dedicated team are in constant touch with the families. They help them in smoothly doing the paperwork for the treatment, guiding them to travel to the partner hospital and addressing any queries and concerns that they may have during this process. Families travelling from different parts of India, some of them who may not have ever left their villages, find Genesis Foundation at each step to comfort them. For us, each life saved is a new life started. It gives the heart a chance to beat again, to dream again and to be hope as a brave survivor for others.

So, next time, if you have a chance to visit Haryana or come across any child suffering from congenital Heart Defect, make sure you think about Genesis Foundation.

To support Genesis Foundation and contribute towards children heart treatment, donate here. You can also support their social pages here- Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

References

Saxena, Anita. "Congenital Heart Disease in India: A Status Report." Indian Pediatrics, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, 15 December 2018, https://www.indianpediatrics.net/dec2018/dec-1075-1082.htm. Accessed 18 March 2025.