A Father’s Fight to Save His Daughter

Mr. Zhang’s 5-year-old daughter Linshan is everything to him, and he’s everything to her.

“I love my dad,” she says.  “He’s so good to me.  He’s my best friend.” 

Mr. Zhangs adds, “We’re poor, but we’re happy.  I’ve never really had any big dreams.  I just want my daughter to be healthy.”

Linshan had a hole in her heart. 

“Her heartbeat was really fast and didn’t sound normal.  It made a rustling sound, like an electric fan blowing,” he explains. 

Linshan’s mother couldn’t accept her daughter’s condition and abandoned the family.

“I became both Linshan’s father and mother,” Mr. Zhang shares.  “I learned how to do her hair and how to teach her to draw.”

Linshan panted and coughed a lot so she couldn’t keep up with the other kids in the village, and she had to stay home.  Outside of her dad, her only other friend was her dog, “Forever”. 

Mr. Zhang remembers, “She became introverted and timid. And didn’t even laugh anymore.” 

“My heart hurt so much,” Linshan adds.  “I didn’t know what was wrong.”

“I had to make more money because I wanted her to get surgery as soon as possible,” says Mr. Zhang.  “So I started working 12-hours-a-day.” 

Mr. Zhang is a lumberjack and once during a long shift, he got seriously injured and had to stop cutting down trees.  Mr. Zhang started collecting garbage to cover basic needs.  And for a while, at her request, Linshan went with him, until she got too sick.”

“I was really tired and couldn’t even walk,” Linshan recalls.

“One day, I came home. and found my daughter gasping for air.  Her face was pale, and her lips were purple,” shares Mr. Zhang.  “I carried her to the hospital.  The doctor said the hole in her heart had grown, and she needed surgery as soon as possible.”  He confesses, “I didn’t know what to do.  No-one would lend me money, and I was scared that I’d lose my daughter at any time.” 

Then he heard that Operation Blessing could help.  We partnered with a local hospital and made sure Linshan quickly got the surgery she needed. 

“You showed there are still some loving people in the world,” exclaims Mr. Zhang.

Linshan adds, “Now I’m healthy and my dad doesn’t have to worry about me anymore.” 

“Linshan eats more and has gained weight.  She’s very energetic and never gets tired,” Mr. Zhang exclaims.  He concludes, “A volunteer prayed for us and said Operation Blessing helped us because of Jesus.  Thank you.  Because of you, I experienced the love of God.  Operation Blessing gave us hope, and now I believe that together, my daughter and I can face anything!”
 

Do you know that CBN partners can reach people around the world for Christ every day? We invite you to join us in ministry together as we provide financial support to those in need through our life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! When you give today and become a CBN partner, you’ll help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!