The American University of Beirut Medical Center received a donation of around $45,000 to establish the Pediatric Sickle Cell Needy Patient Fund. The donation was from the proceeds of a fundraising event organized by the Mohamad Cheaib Foundation.
The check was presented to AUBMC by Dr. Nadia Cheaib, president of the Mohamad Cheaib Foundation on October 23, 2012.
“Sickle cell anemia is an inherited and lifelong disease that manifests in early childhood as painful crises, strokes and severe anemia. Its complications continue and worsen throughout adulthood affecting almost every organ of the body,” explained Dr. Miguel Abboud, AUBMC Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Chairman. “Our 270 existing patients currently need around $250,000 a year to adequately receive the comprehensive care provided at AUBMC.”
Mohamed Cheaib (1935 – 2005) came from an underprivileged family and had to start work at an early age to assist his father and ensure the education of his nine siblings, as he believed in seeking knowledge from the cradle to the grave. He became a highly successful real estate entrepreneur and used his great wealth to further his charitable work and donations to the needy.
His children established the Mohamed Cheaib Foundation, an international philanthropic organization, to continue their father’s work in assisting to build lives, as he believed that it is better to teach a man how to cast a line to feed himself than to offer him a fish to eat for a day.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited genetic disorder that results in an abnormal type of hemoglobin, causing the red blood cells to change from their normal disc shape to an abnormal crescent or sickle shape. Sickle-shaped cells and white blood cells block blood vessels, leading to the characteristic painful episodes and other serious complications, which include: infections, chronic anemia, and damage to multiple organ systems including the brain, eyes, heart, lungs, and kidneys. For this reason, children and adults with sickle cell disease require close follow-up and adequate resources
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The sickle cell disease program at AUBMC offers comprehensive care to patients, including regular follow-up for physical assessment, counseling, blood tests, imaging and adequate treatment. The program focuses on early detection and prevention. “Early diagnosis and treatment allows most children born with this disorder to live relatively healthy and productive lives,” explained Abboud.
The disease is diagnosed by a simple test called hemoglobin electrophoresis. “As the disease is inherited, it is also highly advisable for couples to undergo the test prior to marriage because two healthy individuals can be in fact carriers of the sickle cell trait and can have a child with sickle cell disease,” said Abboud. “For this reason, consanguine marriages increase the chance of developing this type of disease.
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“While the comprehensive care we offer can cost a total of about $8 a day, it still constitutes a heavy burden on the underprivileged families who do not have any medical insurance or social security benefits,” he said. “Our 270 patients also include around 70 children from Palestinian refugee camps.”
In Abboud’s view, and in spite of the cost involved, the ideal would be to test each and every new born child as is the procedure in the United States of America and Europe, to institute early comprehensive care, thus preventing unnecessary pain and suffering for the children and their families. “It all boils down to securing the necessary funding,” he concluded.