Repairing a Broken Heart

Runze wants to be a doctor when he grows up. “I want to be able to treat diseases and save people’s lives,” he explained.

Runze himself was born without his right pulmonary artery and an under-developed left artery. “The doctor said it was the worst kind of heart problem he could have,” his mother shared. “I knew that as his heart grew, he’d get worse.”

He never got enough blood to his heart so he got tired easily and couldn’t keep up with his classmates. Runze remembered, “My heart beat really fast. It felt like there was a big stone pressing against me, and I couldn’t breathe.” 

When he caught colds, they turned into pneumonia, landing Runze in the hospital at least once a month. One doctor said if we didn't get him a tube inside his artery, he’d ultimately suffocate and die from a lack of oxygen,” his mother remembered.

Once, Mrs. Xu thought she’d lost her son, until a doctor resuscitated him. She remembered, “He couldn’t breathe. His lips turned purple and he went limp in my arms. I shouted, ‘Runze, Runze,’ and shook him, but he didn’t respond.”

“My heart didn’t work,” Runze added. “I was afraid I would die and then I wouldn’t be able to be a doctor. The only thing that would cure me was surgery.”

Mrs. Xu raises Runze alone and had to work two jobs to try to save for surgery, yet it was never enough. All the while, she prayed and told her son about Jesus.

Runze shared, “My mother told me stories about Jesus every day, like how He healed the sick. I believe in Jesus and prayed for him to heal me.”

Then a doctor introduced Mrs. Xu to Operation Blessing, and you helped Runze get heart surgery.

“I cried and said, ‘God, this is your love,’ exclaimed Mrs. Xu. “When the doctor opened up Runze’s chest, they found that his heart valve wasn’t working at all. They repaired it and replaced the pulmonary duct. Now, all the complications from his heart disease are gone.”

Runze proclaimed, “I can run far now and play with the other kids without getting tired.”

His mother said, “When I was at the end of my rope, you pulled me out of despair. I’m very grateful to you.”

Runze concluded, “Thank you to the kind people at Operation Blessing. I know God heard my prayer and sent you to help me. I love you all!”