Punjab: Four-year-old Navraj stepped out of school for the first time this year. It was a moment of triumph for two determined women and a man – a mother, a teacher and a doctor – who, despite disappointments and setbacks, never gave up hope of sending the little boy to school one day. Born with a congenital heart disease in 2020, Navraj was considered a “weak” child by local doctors until his mother discovered the truth of a serious heart condition. Suman Bala, a resident of Virk village in Phagwara, who stitched footballs for a living and married to an alcoholic, moved mountains despite her poverty to ensure that her son received proper treatment. The most important help she received was from a school teacher. Navraj was born with a large atrial septal defect (ASD) with supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) – a rare congenital heart defect that can lead to heart failure. Neglected while pregnant, Suman suffered serious health issues while expecting Navraj. She already has three daughters in Classes IX, VI and III. “During my delivery with Navraj I suffered heavy bleeding and was given several bottles of blood transfusion. Navraj could not receive proper attention. As a baby, he was weak, slept a lot and did not cry much.
He could not digest anything including milk, had frequent indigestion problems. Local doctors said he was suffering from ‘weakness’. When he was taken to a private doctor during his indigestion problem, he scolded us for not getting him checked by a heart doctor first. I was surprised to know that he had already told this to my husband, who did not inform me. He was referred to PGI, Chandigarh. My family said it was too far, but I was adamant.” In 2021, Suman Bala devoted several weeks and months to PGI for her son’s tests and diagnosis and finally, an open heart surgery was recommended. Suman Bala said, “I borrowed money from relatives to take him there again and again, but each time we got a new date. We were unable to get a bed due to the rush of patients at PGI. My husband would sometimes go for Navraj’s treatment with the money I gave him. My daughters were missing from school for long periods. I enquired with the teachers.
I told teacher Daljeet Kaur (teacher at her daughters’ government school) about my ordeal. She changed the situation dramatically for me.” Bala said, “Madam Daljit Kaur helped me with her resources and fixed the surgery for Navraj. She and her husband bore the expenses of my tests and medicines, arranged for an ambulance to take Navraj to PGI for surgery, translated the treatment messages (which we could not read). On the last day of discharge, she came to PGI herself to drop us back to Virk. Before that, I was struggling alone. I am very grateful to her.” She added, “I am also grateful to Dr Pankaj Agarwal of PGI, Chandigarh, who treated my son and cured him.” Daljit Kaur, who was a teacher at Government Senior Secondary School Virk at that time, says, “It was a great joy to see Navraj going to school. I felt a ray of light for the family. She was so poor that she could not even afford a taxi. The effort and hard work of Navraj’s mother also motivated me. Navraj’s sisters were not able to go to school. My heart was saying that I should try my best to save this child.” “This is Navraj’s first year in school, his sisters go with him. He is in LKG and has started reading and writing,” Bala said with a smile.
