Thalassemia
Thalassemic children have the same aspirations as any other child. All they want to do is play with their friends go to school and dream to be something big when they grow up. But what hinders their innocent goals is the fact that they are surrounded by needles when other children are surrounded by books and toys.
Nature may have denied them what is rightfully their, but it is the lack of resources required for frequent blood transfusions and a dearth of quality blood that add to their misery. Even if doting parents manage to arrange blood for these children, their economic status may force them to discontinue treatment. Thus, many children from poor families die, and we do not even comprehend their loss.
What is Thalassemia?
Thalassemia is a type of anemia that is passed on genetically. It can be of two types, namely, Thalassemia Trait and Thalassemia Major.
Thalassemia Trait : persons usually have very mild anemia with no obvious symptoms. Around 6 % of the population of Delhi has thalassemia trait.
Thalassemia Major: symptoms are revealed early with paleness and an enlarged spleen or liver. In India , approximately ten thousand children are born with thalassemia major every year.
Rotary Blood Bank’s PROJECT We Care
At the moment, the only practical solution for survival of children with thalassemia major is multiple and frequent blood transfusion throughout life. Such a child needs one unit of blood every two to three months. This requirement goes up to two units of blood every three to four weeks. Rotary Blood Bank New Delhi has adopted children who are suffering from thalassemia. By doing so, the blood bank provides blood to these children free of cost.
How can YOU help?
Create awareness - The best way to lower the incidence of thalassemia is to increase awareness about the disease.
Perform a simple screening test to ascertain if you are a carrier – a blood test hamogram can be done on an automatedHaematology Analyzer. A Confirmatory Test performing Haemoglobin Chromatography on Variant HPLC system confirms suspected cases.
Adopt a thalassemic child - Most thalassemics die unattended by the age of 3 to 4 years. Do not let an innocent child be deprived of the hope to live. All you need to do for saving a precious life is to contribute a small amount of money and adopt a thalassemic child.
To make a monetary contribution, send a cheque in favour of ‘Rotary District 3010 Social Welfare Society’ to Rotary Blood Bank, 57, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi 110062.
All contributions are tax exempted under Section 80 G of the Income Tax Act.
