Seven-year-old Kelvin Mensah struggled to carry out simple tasks, playing with his peers was a challenging task. He had difficulty breathing and spent most of his time in different health centres across the country. He couldn’t spend time in the classroom even though that has been his cherished dream. After numerous medical tests, doctors diagnosed Kelvin’s problem to be “a hole in the heart”. Doctors explained this to be a type of simple congenital heart defect – a problem with the heart's structure that is present at birth. Congenital heart defects, according to experts, change the normal flow of blood through the heart. The heart has two sides, separated by an inner wall called the septum. With each heartbeat, the right side of the heart receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body. The septum prevents mixing of blood between the two sides of the heart. Some babies are born with a hole in the upper or lower septum. A hole in the septum between the heart's upper two chambers (the atria) is called an atrial septal defect (ASD). A hole in the septum between the heart's lower two chambers (the ventricles) is called a ventricular septal defect (VSD). A hole in the septum can allow blood to pass from the left side of the heart to the right side. This means that oxygen-rich blood can mix with oxygen-poor blood, causing the oxygen-rich blood to be pumped to the lungs a second time. 6,000 children are born in Ghana every year with this congenital heart disease, according to the Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng. This was the health condition Kelvin suffered. “My son had been falling sick and having breathing problems too often so I sent him to different hospitals”, Kelvin’s father, Daniel Mensah, told Adom News. “He was finally referred to Korle-Bu by one clinic and to my utter dismay (he) was diagnosed with a hole-in-heart late November (2010) by one Dr. Innocent Adzamli. It was unbelievable because I thought such things only happened to the rich who could afford treatment of such conditions. My wife was devastated as there was absolutely no hope of raising money for the medical bills for such a disease.” Kelvin’s best hope of being able to use his heart fully again was to undergo an urgent paediatric heart surgery and follow-up care. Surgeons at the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra were quoting 7,500 Euros to carry out the operation. “I started thinking every single day how to raise that huge amount and for a whole week I could not eat anything. The doctor said my boy could only get better after the surgery. I had never set my eyes on such a huge amount and there was no hope at all. Unfortunately, I knew my family couldn’t extend any help so I kept it to myself”, said Daniel. He explained further; “my family and friends offered words of encouragement and advised me to go to a radio or TV station for assistance. I heeded their advice and took a letter from the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital to Adom FM for help”. That was when Adom FM stepped in to help save the life of little Kelvin Mensah. The Tema-based business unit launched a massive on-air fund raising campaign on its network in late February 2011, soliciting funds for the 7,500 Euros for the surgery. The response was massive. Corporate bodies and private individuals in Ghana and across the world responded with various donations. Within two months, the campaign had exceeded its target. Kelvin has been scheduled to undergo the first operation in June, with a follow up some few months later. With this successful fund-raising campaign, the management of Adom FM is launching a permanent Save A Child's Heart (SACH) to offer financial support to other children who may require similar life-saving cardiac surgery. Ironically, Kelvin Mensah is the first to donate to this fund, even before its official launch. Kelvin has gladly donated the excess amount raised for his operation to the Adom FM Save A Child’s Heart fund. Individuals, philanthropists and corporate organizations are being targeted for support. Records at the National Cardiothoracic Centre indicate about 150 children between the ages of 11 months and 17 years need urgent financial assistance to undergo surgery in spite of the 50 percent rebate provided by the Ghana Heart Foundation to all patients. Story: Franz Nii Noi Vanderpuye/Adom FM/Ghana