Football, futsal, dancing, skateboarding, snooker.... These are the sports and activities that Tinaraj Pithavadian loves. The 38-year-old man has loved outdoor activities and sports since he was young. He is humorous, has many friends, and is well-loved by his friends and family. However, everyone was shocked when they learned about his congenital heart disease. His mother sighed when she saw her son, who used to be very active, had to stay home for a long time after he fell ill. Sometimes, he stayed in the house for a month.

Tinaraj Pithavadian from Ampang Jaya, Selangor, admitted that he had never had any physical examination. He went for a check at his friend's clinic after discovering he was physically unfit during sports in the second half of last year. Examination results showed that all his body organs were fine except his heart. He was a patient with atrial septal defect (ASD) – a type of congenital heart disease. This disease happened in him, who had loved sports since he was a child, making his family and even himself unbelievable.

"No one believed that I was a footballer when I was young. I had a (footballer) license. I could play football for three to four hours last time, but now, I can't even move for 15 minutes straight. I would not be able to breathe, and I feel tired. The doctor said I look like a young man on the outside, but my heart is like an old man."

Tinaraj Pithavadian's mother revealed that her son loved outdoor activities and had been very active since he was young, but he rarely goes out and cannot do heavy jobs. As a mother, she believes it is difficult for her son to get used to such a life.

The mother, who has asthma, is taking the medication regularly to control her condition. As the family does not have a stable income, she works part-time babysitting to earn about RM1,000 a month.

【The family's income is insufficient to make ends meet, and his poor physical condition made their life more challenging 】

Between October and December last year, Tinaraj Pithavadian went to three different hospitals for examination. He further confirmed his condition and found that the hole in his heart was constantly expanding from 1cm to 2.7cm. Therefore, he must now follow the doctor's advice to move less, so he is temporarily unable to work.

He is a contracted delivery partner for a courier company, and he needed to drive a van. His work also required him to lift heavy objects and climb stairs. Before this, he used to run a watering system business, but it was severely affected by the pandemic. He had to close down his business and was heavily in debt. He could only pay the supplier with a personal loan at that time.

He mentioned that the doctor informed him that he should be able to return to everyday life after the surgery. Now, he needs to do transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to confirm the toughness of the heart wall to prepare for the atrial septal defect closer procedure; if the heart wall is not strong enough, he may need another surgery. In addition, he has allergies to medications, so he cannot take medicine.

Tinaraj Pithavadian needs RM30,000 to treat his heart defect and regain his everyday life. However, the amount is rocket-high for a person without savings who needs to pay off his debts.

Now, he gets help from his relatives and friends to do his jobs at the courier company, but his business could be better than before, leading to a decrease in his income. Every month, he needs to pay for his personal loan of RM1,900, and at the same time, he needs to pay for his car loan and the family's living expenses. He had withdrawn most of his EFP earlier, so his income is insufficient to meet ends. He can't raise the surgical costs in a short period. His father had passed away, and he had not been contacting his siblings for a long time, so he was helpless.

After conducting a home visit to understand Tinaraj Pithavadian's body and family condition, One Hope Charity decided to assist in raising the RM30,000 medical expenses, hoping that he can resume his daily life as soon as possible get rid of the disease.

The family agreed to fully authorise One Hope Charity to take charge of the fundraising and collect donations from the well-wishers on their behalf. Call our hotline at 016-419 2192 or 019-232 2192 if you have any questions