On 71st birthday, Sunil Gavaskar to sponsor 35 kids’ heart surgeries

MUMBAI: On the occasion of his 71st birthday, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar decided to sponsor heart surgeries for 35 children at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital for Child Heart Care, Kharghar. On Friday, Gavaskar will come to the aid of these children whose parents cannot afford such treatments themselves.
A repeat of his actions last year, this act will be life-saving for these children. He chooses the number 35 since it is the number of centuries he scored for India.
“While there are many areas of need that one can serve, children have a special place of importance. They remain the joy of every family and usher in hope of a bright future that all look forward to,” Gavaskar told TOI.
Explaining the motivation behind his action, the former India cricket captain said: “Sadly, congenital heart disease is the commonest defect at birth in India... Many have no chance to survive and lead a life of dignity... And most of them are poor, and care is limited in the country. The ‘Heart to Heart Foundation,’ which I work for, provides hundreds of these children the gift of life, through the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Centres for Children Heart Care in Naya Raipur, Palwal, Haryana, and Kharghar, Navi Mumbai—free of cost. The motto there is ‘only dil, no bill’.”
Gavaskar added, “The experience to give back to the anxious family their child after a complex life-saving heart surgery is a defining one, from hopelessness and desperation we present a new healthy life to them. This transforms into gratitude... and gift given brings so much good into the world we live in.”