How to be Thalassemia-free with Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT)

General FAQ

What is it about?

Cure2Children (C2C) is a non-profit, non political and secular organization providing support to developing countries' health professionals caring for children with cancer and blood disorders.

What is your mission?

We help professionals from developing regions to offer the best possible treatment and follow up care for their children with leukemia, cancer and related disease. We contribute to the elimination of geographical, financial and cultural barriers within the paediatric haematology-oncology global professional community.

The primary aim is to facilitate the management of children with leukemia, cancer and other severe diseases in developing countries by providing professional education opportunities, qualified medical advice, drugs, medical equipment, family support programs, web-based patient management tools, and research grants.

In Pakistan, we support financially and professionally local institutions and families in order to provide the best available treatment to children with severe diseases such as thalassemia and prove that in many instances the same procedure performed in Italy can be safely and successfully applied in Pakistan. The focus is on promoting sustainability, local ownership and professional self-reliance.

In Kosovo since November 2007 the Cure2Children Foundation has supported a project aiming at supporting local professionals and institutions to start treating children with low-risk leukemia. This was initiated by the Associazione SOS Infanzia nel Mondo in collaboration with the paediatric haematology-oncology service at Policlinico Gemelli in Rome and the Italian peace-keeping force in Kosovo (KFOR).

Why Pakistan? Why thalassemia?

This target was chosen as a priority for several reasons: a) Huge case load with approximately 50,000 children only in Pakistan; b) high curability of low-risk cases with a compatible sibling; c) well recognized expertise of Italy, thanks to professor Guido Lucarelli; d) chronic disease which allows enough time for appropriate organisation and preparation of transplant procedures; e) families are generally aware of the severity of the diseases and thus very committed to its treatment; f) strong involvement of a very active Pakistani couple whose daughter was cured of thalassemia in Italy.

Why not cure less severe diseases which are more urgent and relevant in terms of public health and childhood mortality?

Other organizations are working on large, horizontal public health programs (WHO, Unicef, Gates Foundation, ecc…). This, however,is not enough, we need to motivate health professionals to stay in their home country. Too often the problem is not so much the lack of financial resources as that of qualified doctors and nurses. In low and middle-income countries families with a sick, but curable child, who cannot afford treatment are the most desperate and frustrated, they deserve to be high in our priorities.

How can I be sure that the donation I entrust to Cure2Children will be employed appropriately?

On our web site we are providing the ability to associate your donation to a given project and trace the single expense item. Through our site, newsletter and blog you may follow the progress of the projects, as well as of any given patient (identified by an anonymous unique code).  

What have you done?

January 2009 – Provided full support for the development of the "Simone Montomoli" bone marrow transplant unit for the cure of children with thalassemia, leukemia and other severe diseases, this is the first such unit in a public hospital in Pakistan. Cost: approximately 25.000 Euro.

September 2008 – The first children with leukemia ever treated in Kosovo. Cost approximately 2.000 Euro for the purchase of drugs for the full 2-year treatment for each child, at present 10 children are being treated.

August 2008 – The initial group of 5 children with thalassemia are treated in Pakistan at the National Institute of Blood Diseases in Karachi, according to the same procedure employed in Italy. Cost: approximately 15.000 Euro per child, including family support.