DUBAI // A Filipino boy born with rare heart condition that left him barely able to walk can now run, play and even play basketball after a life-changing operation.
Gil Gatdula Junior, 10, was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot soon after he was born in Cebu in the Philippines.
His parents, Gil Senior and Mercedita, who moved to Dubai six years ago, could not afford the cost of the surgery, which was estimated at Dh60,000 to Dh70,000.
So, they appealed to their church, St Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai, to seek funding for Gil. After an appeal in a newspaper article for help, the Dr Moopen’s Foundation charity and the Aster Medcity hospital stepped in to fund the costs.
Now, Gil Junior is recovering in Dubai after receiving open-heart surgery in Kochi, India.
“Before the operation, Gil would not be able to walk even a few steps without fainting. Now, he can do anything he wants,” said Gil’s mother, a teaching assistant. “He was overwhelmed after the surgery and said to me ‘I can fly and touch the sky.’”
Ms Gatdula said although he was in pain after the operation, he is making a good recovery.
She said he also looking forward to being able to play basketball with his elder brothers, who are 25 and 27 years old.
“We hope to send Gil to school next year. He has asked us to take him to the beach as he wants to play in the sand but we are waiting for the weather to cool down before we can take him there,” she said.
The costs of surgery and follow-up care were born by the foundation.
Usually it helps pay for surgery for children in other parts of the world, so Gil is the first case they have funded in Dubai.
“When we heard about Gil’s condition two months ago we reached out to the family and wanted to help. It was possible for us to do the operation in Kochi and the family wouldn’t have to wait,” said Dr Azad Moopen, chairman of Aster DM Healthcare.
He said this was also an opportunity to give something back to the Filipino community as 20 per cent of the staff at his hospital are from the Philippines.
During the three-and-a-half hour surgery, Gil’s heart was stopped while the procedure was undertaken.
Ms Gatdula said she was overwhelmed by the kindness of the medical staff, whom she referred to as “miracle workers.”
“Everyone here and even our family back home in Philippines have been so supportive towards us,” she said.
“I prayed and cried and had tears of joy when I saw Gil walk. I would keep stopping him because I was worried about him but the doctors said he could walk and even run now. He has been cured completely.”
Tetralogy of Fallot is a rare, congenital heart defect that affects approximately five out of every 10,000 people.
Sufferers are born with four anatomical abnormalities in their heart, including defects in the wall separating the two ventricles, narrowing of the valve which regulates blood flow, a problem with the artery and thickening of the wall within the right ventricle. This results in low oxygenation of blood, which can cause fainting if they undertake too much physical activity.
arizvi2@thenational.ae