Members of JCI Curepipe,
Greetings to you all. First of all let me introduce myself. I am Nushruth Ebrahim Saib living at 15 Cantons, Vacoas. Am 28 years old and am thalassemic since birth. I am sure some of you are not aware of Thalassemia. Despite my illness I’ve succeeded in completing my Cambridge SC and did a diploma in Information and Technology.

DESCRIPTION OF THALASSEMIA
Well thalassemia are inherited blood disorder. It causes the body to make fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin than normal. The main treatment for it is regular blood transfusion usually every 3 to 5 weeks, depending on the severity of anemia. In addition to the blood transfusion, doctors recommend desferal to help the body to flush our extra iron created by the new blood.

Thalassemia’s life depends on regular blood transfusion. For my case I need to do it each and every month. As I inherited it since my birth, I always look tired and weak. However due to regular blood transfusion, I have got an excess of iron in my body. This is very harmful for my heart, liver, pancreas and other organs. In order to reduce this excessiveness of iron, I took lots of medicines including desferal which is painful.

Despite all this in year 2000, I underwent a spleen ectomy surgery at Victoria hospital. After all that, still the past 2 years were very difficult for me. Due to regular transfusion, an excessive of iron, my bones became very weak, and became totally handicap. I stayed both at the hospital and later on at Medisave clinic and did a leg surgery at Loretto clinic. Still I stayed on bed more than a year as I could not walk at all.

Believe me, at that moment of time, I felt I’m a burden. Fortunately got lot of support, love, care, attention and encouragement from my parents, my darling sister ( leena manally ), family, friends and doctors.

Here in Mauritius, we have approximately 100 thalassemia’s patients. I would like to request you all to help and provide your support to us. For Example: you can give blood. BLOOD CAN SAVE A LIFE.

Giving blood can really help our blood bank, as they use it for not only thalassemia but for other cases like anemia, bleeding disorders, accidents, surgery and many others. 

But since we thalassemia’s patient, our lives depend on this transfusion, we would prefer to get these blood from a selective group of volunteers, who can supply it to us.  This is mainly because regular blood transfusion has lots of side effects namely reactions, allergy, bacterial contamination, volume overload, hypothermia, iron accumulation, infectious disease, fever, acute respiratory, bleeding and many more.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we thalassemia in order to avoid all these reactions, we kindly request you and we rely on your support in order to regularly assist us.

Fortunately now and thanks to Mrs. Amrita Vayid and DR Sonoo that they introduce the thalassemia society.  This organization aims at informing and make people aware of thalassemia and to provide a better treatment for thalassemia’s patients.  And also we get opportunities to meet other thalassemia patients, doctors, Blood Donors Association, and other members.

I would like to express my personal gratitude to Sabrina who personally called and invited me to JCI meeting.  It was for the first time I discover JCI.  I also got an opportunity to talk and express myself to other members.  All of them were so friendly to me and as per the presentations; JCI is really doing a good job.  I wish all of them Good Luck and May God bless them all.  For me it was really nice to meet people and learn about new things in life.  However I would request you all members if you need any help from me and it’s within my capacity I would gladly do it for your organization.

One of your core objective of your association is respecting brotherhood and I’ve witness it.  When we say there is a will there is a way.  You proved it.  Even thought was invited was really difficult for me to come alone and can’t travel alone as I had recently did a leg surgery at clinic Loretto in 2008.  But you made everything possible and came to pick me up and also invited my sister, welcome us and even drop us home.  I think it’s the best example of humanity.  You didn’t make me feel a burden on the contrary was so much welcome.  Again thanks to all JCI members.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we thalassemia in order to avoid all these reactions, we kindly request you and we rely on Would also like to thank JCI on behalf of my association Thalassemia society for organizing a blood day that really helps and hope that they will continue to do blood donation.

WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN APPEAL TO YOU ALL
Please give blood regularly as it can save a life.  Am not referring to thalassemia patients but for many other cases blood bank needs blood.
Also I know you all are doing a great job towards the society.  However Thalassemia society is open for new members, so if you are interested please contact me.

Wish you all the best and again thanks for all.  You are all doing a great job and good luck.