Rouse Organises Blood Donation Drive At Twin Towers

Courtesy: albawaba.com

Dubai Investment Properties, one of the leading real estate developers in the UAE, today announced that Rouse, a leading intellectual property (IP) consultancy, is holding a blood donation drive on September 14, 2010 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Twin Towers in Deira. The third annual blood donation drive, which is a part of the company’s global CSR programme ‘Rouse Cares’, will be held in association with the Dubai Health Authority to support patients suffering from thalassemia and other life-threatening ailments.

“Patients suffering from thalassaemia, cancer, accidents and other life threatening conditions need blood to save their lives. This ever-increasing demand of blood can only be met through voluntary blood donations,” says Mr. Jon Parker, Partner, Rouse. “Through our Rouse Cares programme, we aim to help improve the lives of others through sustainable initiatives and by growing roots in each country where we work. We are happy to organise our annual blood donation drive in association with the Dubai Health Authority where our staff, partners and clients can make a contribution to meet the continued need for blood at hospitals.”

The third annual blood donation drive will be held on the third floor of the Twin Towers. Employees, partners and guests are expected to voluntarily come forward to donate in large numbers. Rouse expects the donations to surpass last year’s number of 100 units. The DHA authorities will provide full medical equipment, information and support at the blood donation campaign.

“We commend Rouse for organising the blood donation campaign during the Eid period and are happy to whole-heartedly support it. Twin Towers will offer them all the facilities and services required to make this blood donation a mega success. We are sure DIP’s staff and other tenants at Twin Towers will also come out in full force to support Rouse’s blood donation campaign,” says Mr. Deepak Chawla, Operations Manager at DIP.

Globally, Rouse supports initiatives to help improve the lives of the local community through its ‘Rouse Cares’ programmer. The support ranges from providing legal support on a pro bono basis, supporting charitable institutions and working directly with community organisations.

Willing to contribute?

It’s so hard to organize a blood camp in Ramadan, not because organizers are fasting and slow BUT people resist donating blood, although one can donate after iftar, but still people think they can get weak after donating.

FAiTh tried arranging a blood camp before Ramadan in different institutes/universities, but couldn’t get permission as they were already booked by some other Thalassemia centers, am glad someone approached them before us  and I hope they would have get awesome result.

Now FAiTh has decided to organize blood camp after Eid and we are here to ask for help, help in giving us a venue, help in getting us donors.

If you can arrange blood camp in your neighborhood, institute, university, factory, office ANYWHERE, contact us. Just give us venue and donors and we will do the rest!

Hoping to get positive vibes!

–
Ayesha Mehmood
Official Spokesperson
www.thalassemia.com.pk

Woman’s rare blood helps others

Courtesy: staradvertiser.com

Leslie Tanoue is among the Blood Bank of Hawaii’s small group of donors with blood that can help children with a rare disorder.

Tanoue’s blood is used to help people diagnosed with thalassemia major, a disorder that destroys red blood cells and leads to anemia.

Last month, Tanoue squeezed a rubber ball for the 70th time to give a pint of her blood and encourage others to do the same.

Tanoue has O-positive blood with antigens that match those of patients with thalassemia. Unmatched antigens would cause the patient’s immune system to make antibodies that destroy the transfused red blood cells.

“When we saw a special sticker placed on our blood bags and we learned that our blood is rare, it was exciting and motivating and stressed the importance of regular donations,” Tanoue said in a news release.

According to the National Institutes of Health, thalassemia can lead to severe anemia, bone deformities in the face, fatigue, growth failure, shortness of breath and jaundice. Severe thalassemia can lead to heart failure and liver problems.

“There’s no cure for it,” said Dr. Randal Covin, associate medical director of the Blood Bank of Hawaii.

Children diagnosed with thalassemia major may require regular blood transfusions as treatment to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

According to the Blood Bank of Hawaii, 60 percent of the population will need blood during their lifetime, but only 2 percent of Hawaii residents are blood donors.

For information on how to donate, call the Blood Bank of Hawaii at 845-9966.

Giving Guests

Courtesy: bangaloremirror.com

Four working professionals living in a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Koramangala’s Ashwini Layout have come together to give something to society. They have teamed up with St John’s Hospital and Medical College to organise a blood donation camp at their PG – Vinayak Home – between 10 am and 12:30 pm on Sunday. Blood collected from this drive will be given to Thalassemia and Haemop- hilia patients.

Paying guests (L-R) Mohit Jain, Mohan A S and Ravi Shankar B Ghave have invited 50 apartments in Koramangala to take part in their blood donation drive on Sunday The altruistic foursome are Mohan A S and Mohit Jain, who work as software engineers; bank employee Ashish Kumar, and Ravi Shankar B G, a a clinician in St John’s Hospital.

Jain, who initiated this drive, says, “This idea came when my three friends and I were chatting. We thought we should have a blood donation drive to create awareness about it.”

Shankar got the support of St John’s Hospital for this drive. The hospital is providing eight beds and 13 medical personnel.
Blood collected will be used by the hospital in treating Thalassemia and Hemophilia patients, who come to the hospital regularly for transfusion.

Jain says, “Initially, we thought of making it a private affair by including only 60 members of our PG. Later we expanded it”
The group visited more than 50 apartments and PGs in Koramangala, besides collecting email IDs and mobile numbers, to inform people about the drive.

Everyone they met was extremely supportive. Jain says, “Wherever we went, we were treated nicely. Some even asked us to come inside and promised us their participation on Sunday. We made it clear that we did not belong to any group but were doing this because we wanted to help.”

Blood Donation Camp held at Indian School of Business

Courtesy: indiaeducationdiary.in

Hyderabad: Students at the Indian School of Business (ISB) organised a one day voluntary blood donation camp in collaboration with Red Cross Society, Hyderabad recently. This was the tenth consecutive year that the camp was held at the ISB campus.

The entire ISB community – students, staff, faculty, spouses and alumni – donated blood, with 175 units being collected. The donated blood will be mainly used for children in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka suffering from Thalassemia, a genetic disorder which afflicts 1 out of every 8 Indians.

On the occasion, Shiv Kumar, head of Co-curricular Activities at the ISB said, “I donate every year during this camp since voluntary blood donation costs nothing but gives the donor a great feeling of pleasure, peace and bliss. This is our tenth year & I am glad the fervour of students and staff has only increased with each opportunity to donate blood. We had a record collection of 260 units in 2009.”

Dr Komal Jagdish, who supervised the camp, was extremely delighted with the turnout. She said, “Blood from this camp will be used by Red Cross’ Hyderabad transfusion centre which handles 1200 Thalassemia patients every month. But, in summer months, donations usually go down. We are thankful to ISB since this is the only camp we managed this month.”

Emirates Central Cooling Corporation organises blood donation campaign

Courtesy by: bi-me.com

Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), the largest district cooling service provider in the region, held its fourth blood donation campaign in aid of children suffering from thalassaemia and other blood conditions recently under the aegis of Dubai Blood Donation Centre of Dubai Health Authority.

A significant number of volunteers donated blood as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility. The donated blood will go towards helping “Thalassemia” patients as well as others in need of blood.

Some 154 persons donated blood during the event. Students from high schools put up an entertainment program for the donors. All the donors, sponsors and volunteers were recognised with certificates of appreciation, gifts and prizes.

Ahmed Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower said: “The primary aim of establishing Empower was preserving the environment and to give our children a better life with natural resources.

This campaign will help meet the continuous need for blood supplies in Dubai. Empower is keen to continue such initiatives which reflect its firm commitment to society.”

Blood donations plat a crucial role in saving the lives of many, particularly children suffering from thalassaemia, who normally need repeated blood transfusions, in addition to many others who are being treated for other serious diseases.

The response was unprecedented and donors have already signed for Empower’s next Blood Donation Campaign expected to be held in/around August 2010.

The campaign was held with the help of sponsors, including Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development, Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), Transgulf Electro Mechanical, Mario Associates, Gea Ecoflex, Technical & Trading Establishment, Union National Bank, Al Zarooni Electo Mechanical, Mezbaan Hyderabad Restaurant, Jeema Mineral Water (PSC) and AECOM Ellerbe Becket.

Blood transfusion is a vital aspect to combating “Thalassemia”, a genetic blood disorder that affects a person’s ability to produce haemoglobin, resulting in severe anemia.

Bin Shafar added: “Empower has always been at the forefront of organising such community focused campaigns.

We thank all the Empower employees and members of the public, who came forward to assist Thalassemia patients.”

Lady Cards help raise money for their adopted 4-year-old

Courtesy by: beaumontenterprise.com

Larry Tidwell had been to the Whataburger in Winnie at least a dozen times on the way back from recruiting trips to Houston, and it had never taken him this long to get his food.

With a bus full of schoolchildren inside that October day keeping the kitchen staff busy, all the Lamar women’s basketball coach could do was stare at a flyer on the drive-through window that had a picture of a young boy in a cowboy hat on it.

The flyer was for a benefit to help defray the cost of medical expenses for 3-year-old Lane Hoffpauir’s blood transfusion.

“I couldn’t stop looking at it,” Tidwell said. “I’m an old cowboy myself, so the hat really got to me. I knew I just had to help this kid, so I took down the number and called his mom.”

Lane, now 4, has had more than 100 blood transfusions in his life, battling beta thalassemia, an inherited blood disease in which the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, leading to destruction of red blood cells and anemia.

Tidwell and the Lady Cardinal basketball team decided to adopt Lane for the season. After adopting Lane, the basketball team sold different ticket packages, which included tickets to Saturday’s game and extras such as golf and gumbo, to help the fundraising efforts at his benefit on Oct. 17. The basketball team’s efforts raised almost $15,000 and so far the family has received almost $100,000 in donations to help with the cost of his bone marrow transplant.

Al Majid Motors helps thalassemia sufferers

Courtesy by: eyeofdubai.com

In support of KIA’s worldwide CSR program, Al Majid Motors’ staff donates blood to Al Wasel Hospital to help thalassemia patients

KIA, represented in the UAE by Al Majid Motors Co., recently took part in a major blood donation campaign in support of thalassemia patients and Al Wasel Hospital, as part of KIA’s “Moving the World Together” CSR initiative.

Over 71 employees from different departments of the Juma Al Majid Group took part in this vital initiative to give blood at the KIA Motors showroom in Deira. Doctors and nurses from Al Wasel Hospital were on hand to administer the process, with the hospital also providing beds and blood donation equipment.

Mr. Mohammad Khader, General Manager of Al Majid Motors – KIA, commented that his staff “responded magnificently to the call for donations.”

“KIA and Al Majid Motors together believe in the importance of giving back to the communities in which we operate,” he added. “We don’t just sell cars: our business philosophy matches our CSR philosophy, which is to help others attain happiness, via our role as automakers and auto dealers.”

This is the 8th year Al Majid Motors has teamed up with Al Wasel Hospital for the donation drive, which is seen as an important part of the firm’s corporate and social responsibility programme.

“Thalassemia is a big issue across the UAE, and we at Al Majid Motors see it as our civic duty to help our fellow citizens however we can in this regard,” Mr. Khader continued.

“We hope our actions have made a positive difference to those struggling with the condition of thalassemia, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the Al Wasel Blood Donation centre in the future,” he concluded.

Efforts to Help Patients through Blood Donation

Courtesy by: himvani.com

Winters in Shimla have always been a nightmare for the patients who require blood transfusion to save their life. At Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital, particularly, patients coming from the tribal and other far flung areas of the state used to face a lot of difficulties in arranging blood as in severe cold conditions the shelves of the blood bank remained almost empty. The reason was less voluntary blood donation camps during winters and no decrease in the demand of blood. But the winter season started from December 2009 is slightly different from the past years.

Umang Foundation, a public welfare trust, keeping in view the grim situation, decided to start a campaign of four voluntary blood donation camps and a drive to focus on the rights of the children with Thalassemia. The campaign was launched by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal along with the Health Minister Dr. Rajiv Bindal on 11th December, 2009 to celebrate the World Human Rights Day.

Mr. Ajai Srivastava, Chairman of Umang Foundation, said, “We tried to play the role of a catalyst. Our campaign was just to make local NGOs believe that during severe winters also, people can be motivated to donate blood. In our camp on 11th December, 50 units of blood were collected. After that some other organizations like Ashadeep, Save Life Mission and Sant Nirankari Mission etc. came forward to organize camps. This is the first winter in the history of Shimla when so many blood donation camps were conducted.”

The second camp of Umang Foundation was organized in collaboration with The Christ Church and YMCA Shimla on 20th December in the Church compound. During the Christmas celebration of one and half century old Christ Church, the blood donation camp was inaugurated by Rev. P.K Samant Ray, Bishop of CNI, and 40 persons donated blood in the camp. The third camp at the Ridge was held on 1st January to mark the New Year celebrations and in total 80 units of blood was collected. Mr. Narender Baragta, Horticulture Minister of the State, inaugurated the programme. The 4th and last camp of the series was organized on 14th January to celebrate Makar Sankranti, the Hindu Festival of donations. Defying snow and biting cold wave, as many 40 persons donated blood in the camp. Hundreds of people gathered at the Ridge to celebrate the festival with the children with Thalassemia.

It is pertinent to mention that all these camps were dedicated to the children with Thalassemia as this issue is at the top of the agenda of Umang Foundation. “During this campaign, we tried to make people aware of the genetic blood disorder called Thalassemia. Apart from this, we motivated hundreds of people, particularly youth and girls, for blood donation. We are the only organization to organize four blood donation camps in Shimla during severe cold. And if the need be, we are ready to organize one or two more such camps in this season”, added Ajai Srivastava.

The Chief Minister, while inaugurating the campaign on 11th December, had lauded the efforts of Umang Foundation and said that it provided more than 700 units of blood to the blood banks of Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital and Ripon Hospital of Shimla in the calendar year of 2009. It was a big achievement of the Foundation when Chief Minister accepted its two major demands and announced to establish a separate Thalassemic ward and an Eye Bank in the I.G.M.C. Hospital, Shimla.

Dr. Sandeep Malhotra, Blood Bank Officer of I.G.M.C., Shimla, said, “These camps created history and helped us in a very crucial period to save life of hundreds of patients.” And that is not all! A large number of dedicated voluntary blood donors associated with Umang Foundation donated blood at the blood banks in emergency.

Blood Donation Drive Aims to Help Children with Thalassemia

Courtesy by: Daijiworld.com

Mumbai, Dec 14: Vile Parle MLA Krishna Hegde, in association with Jagrut (an NGO), organized a blood donation drive at Parle Tilak Vidyalay in Vile Parle (East), on Sunday December 13.

The blood donation drive was held in response to the needs of children afflicted with Thalassemia.

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder where the patients need to undergo regular blood transfusions since their body cannot produce enough haemoglobin. It afflicts approximately one lac people in India and nearly 10,000 to 20,000 people are annually diagnosed with it.

The average life span of a person suffering from Thalassemia major is low since there is no cure other than a bone marrow transplant and regular blood transfusions. Awareness is the only tool to battle this disorder as it is passed on only if both parents are Thalassemic minors.

The blood donation drive generated a good response and over 250 bottles of blood were collected and handed over to the blood bank of J J Hospital.

“We have to create awareness about Thalassemia. A blood test for Thalassemia minor should be taken by couples before marriage to avert this disorder and ensure that their child is not afflicted by Thalassemia”, said Hegde.

“Looking at the tremendous response, we will be organizing another blood donation drive shortly”, said Narendra Hirani, president of Jagrut Group.

Kripashankar Singh, president of MRCC, also attended the blood donation drive. Appreciation certificates and mementos were distributed to all the donors.