Pakistani boy recovering from life-saving surgery thanks to North grads
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Sajad Dad

A small boy in Pakistan has been given the chance to live a long, full life - thanks to Amherst teens.

Funds raised by two 2007 Williamsville North High School graduates paid for heart surgery for 4-year-old Sajad Dad. He underwent the operation on July 5 and was discharged five days later.

"Sajad was in the intensive care unit for about a day, then was shifted to the general ward. Everything went very smoothly," Jenny Zhang, 18, said.

Zhang and Sahoor Khan, 17, raised the money for the operation during their senior year at North. Khan was in Pakistan for the operation and reported the good news to Zhang.

Dr. Muneer Amanullah performed the surgery that repaired a hole in the boy's heart. Khan said in the United States this surgery would be performed at birth, but in Pakistan it goes undetected and untreated. The boy's mother died in her young 20s from the same defect.

The cost of the surgery was $5,000, but upon meeting Khan, the surgeon reduced the cost to $4,000 out of compassion, Zhang said.

During their senior year, the girls raised funds through their foundation, Children's Heart Awareness Project, also known as C.H.A.P. A fundraiser held at the University at Buffalo in May raised the majority of the money needed to perform the surgery.

With success in its first undertaking, C.H.A.P will be continued through a Web site founded by the teens to raise awareness about the number of children dying due to the lack of cardiac care in Third World countries, Zhang said.

The $1,000 saved from the surgery will be added to an account at the hospital in Pakistan, and additional money will be added for other surgeries.

Planning to pursue a medical degree with a focus in pediatric cardiology, Khan found a special interest in the young boy's future.

"I've always been devoted to volunteering and helping people less fortunate who are in need of medical attention," she said. "We wanted to raise money for charity, and we were trying to decide where to turn our efforts. When I told Jenny that we could save a 4-year-old boy's life, she said, 'We have to do that.'"

In addition to his failing health, Sajad also lived through the 2005 earthquake that hit his rural village.

Zhang and Khan thanked Kabab & Curry, Cardiology of Niagara, the Buffalo Heart Group and UB's Bangladeshi Student Association for helping them meet the goal for Sajad.

"His family was overjoyed and very grateful," Zhang said, adding that Khan spoke with the boy's father following surgery, and his son is recovering well and eating more since the procedure.