<p>A campaign on online social media site came to the rescue of a cash-starved family of a child diagnosed with a rare heart condition. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Nine-month-old Akiyal, resident of the Maldives who underwent a complex surgery at Sakra World Hospital in Bangalore recently, saw the campaign help his family raise funds needed for the surgery. <br /><br />Akiyal was diagnosed with a rare heart condition known as double outlet, right ventricle (DORV), wherein the blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart is located in the wrong place. The only option was a complex surgery involving lakhs of rupees. <br /><br />A distressed father Farhan Maher Male and his brother-in-law began a social media web page — www.facebook.com/helpakiyal/info that spoke about Akiyal’s condition and the need of surgery for his survival. <br /><br />Across the world<br /><br />In a span of eight months, the family was able to raise Rs 8 lakh with donations pouring in from across the world. <br /><br />“The money we used to promote the page was less than $100,” Farhan said, adding that a major chunk of donations came from the Maldives. “People from Sri Lanka and the Netherlands also contributed,” he said.<br /><br />An engineer in a cellular company, Farhan made the best use of online technology. With enough funds in hand, the family got the child operated on, with doctors at Sakra World Hospital performing the surgery.<br /><br />“Throughout the day, I and my brother-in-law used to search the Net. It was then that we started the Facebook page, ‘Help Akiyal - Save A Child’s Heart’. We promoted the page by paying $5, which implied that 20,000 Facebook users would see the page,” Farhan said. <br /><br />Can go home<br /><br />Dr Adil Sadiq, who treated the child, said, “The family has shown a new way to others in dire need. Akiyal’s surgery has been successful and he can go home soon.”</p>
<p>A campaign on online social media site came to the rescue of a cash-starved family of a child diagnosed with a rare heart condition. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Nine-month-old Akiyal, resident of the Maldives who underwent a complex surgery at Sakra World Hospital in Bangalore recently, saw the campaign help his family raise funds needed for the surgery. <br /><br />Akiyal was diagnosed with a rare heart condition known as double outlet, right ventricle (DORV), wherein the blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart is located in the wrong place. The only option was a complex surgery involving lakhs of rupees. <br /><br />A distressed father Farhan Maher Male and his brother-in-law began a social media web page — www.facebook.com/helpakiyal/info that spoke about Akiyal’s condition and the need of surgery for his survival. <br /><br />Across the world<br /><br />In a span of eight months, the family was able to raise Rs 8 lakh with donations pouring in from across the world. <br /><br />“The money we used to promote the page was less than $100,” Farhan said, adding that a major chunk of donations came from the Maldives. “People from Sri Lanka and the Netherlands also contributed,” he said.<br /><br />An engineer in a cellular company, Farhan made the best use of online technology. With enough funds in hand, the family got the child operated on, with doctors at Sakra World Hospital performing the surgery.<br /><br />“Throughout the day, I and my brother-in-law used to search the Net. It was then that we started the Facebook page, ‘Help Akiyal - Save A Child’s Heart’. We promoted the page by paying $5, which implied that 20,000 Facebook users would see the page,” Farhan said. <br /><br />Can go home<br /><br />Dr Adil Sadiq, who treated the child, said, “The family has shown a new way to others in dire need. Akiyal’s surgery has been successful and he can go home soon.”</p>
