The Children

Interacting with the children and their families in the Shanghai Thoracic (Chest) Hospital's paediatric ward is one of the most enlightening and fulfilling aspects of being a Heart to Heart Shanghai Volunteer.

Volunteers soon realise that all of the children at the hospital are much loved by their parents and families.

They have not been abandoned because of their congenital heart defects and many of the parents have used all of their available resources to have their child admitted to hospital for heart surgery.

Some families however cannot raise enough money to pay for these life-saving operations; fortunately Heart to Heart Shan ghai is able to help many families each year to realise their dream of having a healthy child.

A congenital heart problem not only takes its toll on the children but also on their families. The child is prone to sickness and infections and generally has to be on antibiotic medicines. These medicines cannot prevent all infections and many of the children miss many days of schooling as they are too sick and not strong enough to be able to walk (often several miles) to their local school.

For their families the distress and financial burden of having a sick child is huge and their greatest hope is that their child will leave hospital with the prospect of a normal life ahead of them.

All of the children touch the hearts of our Volunteers. We are saddened when they are first admitted, as often they are very ill and their parents are obviously extremely worried about their scheduled surgery. However our hearts are brightened when we see them recover from their operations and it is a joyous occasion when we bid the children and their very happy parents a fond farewell.

We would like to share some of the backgrounds and encounters we have had with these children - please follow this link to read more about the Heart to Heart Shanghai Sponsored Children.