贺辞 THE 30th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHILDREN'S THALASSAEMIA FOUNDATION

On this occasion to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Children’s Thalasaemia Foundation, I like to congratulate her for making outstanding contributions to improving the care of children inflicted by this highly prevalent inherited disease. She has provided significant support for the health care needs for the children and families. She has heightened much public awareness of this highly prevalent condition among southern Chinese. She has provided funds to promote research adding to an improved understanding of the disease and more advanced management of these children.

Affected children need regular blood transfusions to survive. They were thriving at the mercy of kind-hearted blood-donors. Regrettably it was not in the local culture to donate blood to save lives until the recent 3 decades. These children depended heavily on episodic arrival of servicemen from warships for the much needed blood source. In years gone-by, most of these children would succumb before 5 because of severe anaemia, recurrent infections and frequent bleeding from hypersplenism. With more willing local blood-donors in the late 80s, these children still would not live beyond their teen years. As complications of repeated blood transfusions would release high levels of iron which would damage various organs. Injuries to endocrine system would impair growth and generate diabetes; excessive deposits would induce failure of vital functions such as the heart and the liver.

As health care funds were scarce, the much needed support would only come from donations like those provided by our Foundation. Much work had been started by the formation of a Patient-self-help group known as the “Cooley’s Anaemia Association” (now known as The Thalassaemia Association of Hong Kong) at the Department of Paediatrics of Queen Mary Hospital in 1982. Parents and volunteers helped to elicit resource to purchase the expensive chelating agent (Desferal). This drug helps to excrete the excessive iron alleviating its toxic effects to various organs of the body, impairing health and survival of these patients. Much donation was needed to purchase enough Infusion pumps to inject the drug into the body over a 6 to 8 hours period every night in those days.

By 1993, the un-met need had caught the attention of many willing social-minded people. The Children’s Thalassaemia Foundation was thus formed under the Chairmanship of Dr. Rosanna Wong, a distinguished LEGCO member and a small group of social leaders including Mr. Chris Pavlov (Finance Officer of HSBC), Mr. Mathew Oram (Director of HKJC), Raju & Jyoti Mahboobani, a highly enthusiastic couple/parents, besides myself.

Over these 30 years, the Foundation has continued to flourish under several able chairpersons and many council members who have offered selfless support to the cause. Under our current Chairman. Dr. Edmond Ma, the Foundation is now standing firmly on solid ground, like the Chinese saying “三十而立”.

I wish her continued her good work with leaps and bounce to further enhance the health and well-being of our Thalassaemia patients.

YEUNG CHAP YUNG
Honorary President, CTF
Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics
University of Hong Kong