Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital and crowdfunding platform Milaap.org, organised an event on Wednesday to commemorate Word Thalassemia Day, observed on May 8 annually.
Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder in which the body is unable to produce red blood cells, requiring blood transfusions every three or four weeks. Such persons suffer from various complications.
The event included the participation of children with thalassemia and haematologists, who spoke about the condition, the journey to recovery and medical crowdfunding. There was puppetry and a magic show for children.
According to Meena Sivasankaran, consultant in the Department of Haematology at the hospital, approximately 10,000 children are born with thalassemia annually. “Even with optimal blood transfusion and iron chelation therapy quality of life may worsen due to complications related to transfusion and excess iron with life expectancy being around 25-30 years only. With bone marrow transplantation they could lead a normal life like any other child, without the need for blood transfusion,” she said.
Milaap’s president and co-founder Anoj Viswanathan said the event was held to acknowledge those affected by the condition and stand by them in the hour of need. “As a crowdfunding platform we ensure that the patients and their families have a safe and trusted way of raising funds, with the generosity of donors on the Internet.”
