All posts by maria Bagnulo

Stories of Hope

Muhammad’s world is full of possibility

14-year-old Muhammad with autism has a loving and supportive family who do everything they can to provide him a meaningful happy life and completely support him to attend mainstream school. However, his mother Najia couldn’t help but feel that her son was capable of so much more. She was resolved to take every opportunity to enable Muhammad to flourish in life.

When Najia heard of Al Jalila Foundation’s Ta’alouf Parents Training Program, which enables parents of children of determination to gain life-changing skills to enhance their children’s unique abilities, she signed up immediately.

The Ta’alouf program allowed Najia to gain a great deal more confidence to present better opportunities to Muhammad and strengthened her skills and ability to apply them daily.

Thanks to Najia’s knowledge and nurturing she has watched her son blossom before her eyes. Muhammad has significantly progressed in his self-control of emotions, movement and sound which is demonstrated by his increased confidence with eye contact and improved concentration. In addition to this she is noticing that Muhammad is gaining more self-reliance by self-actioning and has become far more articulate and expressive during discussions.

Najia is delighted with the positive changes, “There is a lot of ambiguity around autistic children, but we as a family are determined to learn how to be the best support for Muhammad. A child with autism is a beautiful person who only needs his surrounding world to highlight the beauty within him. Thank you, Al Jalila Foundation, for your tireless pursuit to serve children of determination.”

Stories of Hope

The community rallies to save baby Muhammad

When 2-month-old baby boy Muhammad had great difficulty breathing and eating his parents grew worried and were even scared to lose him. After careful medical observation it was confirmed that he suffered from congenital heart disease and needed urgent open-heart surgery to repair the cardiac malformation.

Muhammad’s parents had lived in Dubai for over 10 years and also have a 6-year-old daughter who is attending school. His father supported the family through work as a salesman and his mother was engaged in looking after baby Muhammad and his sister. The family’s budget was already stretched and they certainly did not have the financial means to cover the surgery costs.

Through the Al Jalila Foundation A’awen Giving website, we spread the word on Muhammad’s condition and our supportive community responded by flooding his campaign page with donations and raising the full amount needed for the operation.

Thanks to these generous donors Muhammad was able to undergo the life-saving surgery and post treatment care he desperately needed. Today, Muhammad’s breathing is healthy, and he is growing up to be a strong vibrant little boy.

Muhammad’s parents are forever grateful, “From the bottom of our hearts we give great thanks to all the compassionate people who donated so that we have our son by our side today. We cannot express our joy to witness the return of his healthy appetite and the sound of his laughter when he is playing with his sister.”

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Research focuses on antioxidants to tackle obesity

Al Jalila Foundation is committed to be a leader in medical research and in our mission to discover innovative solutions to address the medical challenges of the future we engage with the greatest minds in the UAE. Professor Salah Gariballa, from UAE University, is one scientific leader who studies nutrition, disease and ageing in prevention and treatment of illness. He has published more than 100 research papers, books and book chapters including more than 60 articles on this important topic.

The UAE has one of the highest prevalence of abdominal (visceral) obesity related diabetes mellitus in the World.  Possible mechanisms that relate visceral obesity to increased risk of diabetes and other related complications include inflammation and oxidative damage.

Due to rising levels of obesity and associated complications in the UAE, Al Jalila Foundation supported a research study lead by Professor Salah to investigate levels of antioxidants both enzymes and vitamins and oxidative damage markers in overweight and obese subjects receiving structured dietary education and to measure their response to visceral fat loss.

Antioxidants found in fruit and vegetables are known to promote health by combating oxidative damage resulting from increased free radicals which are linked to the pathogenesis of obesity related complications.  Increased fruits and vegetables consumption also help weight loss through their low energy content and high dietary fiber content.

The study results revealed that obesity is associated with increased oxidative stress.  The study results also support a beneficial role of higher fruits and vegetables intake in subjects with visceral obesity.  These findings if proven, with availability of healthy food choices could have enormous public health implications for reduction of visceral obesity and its health consequences in the UAE and worldwide.

Stories of Hope

Celebrating the Class of Khalifa

Saad Syed has become the first doctor in his family and in his words “a dream come true” which he credits to his Al Jalila Foundation scholarship. Alea Mohammed says that she could not “have reached this milestone without the support of Al Jalila Foundation”. Aya Akhras pursued her academic journey with great pride and looks forward to “serving the UAE and giving back”.

Saad, Alea and Aya from the MBRU Class of Khalifa 2022 recently graduated from the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) with Al Jalila Foundation scholarships. We are proud to celebrate 11 new medical doctors set to embark on the next chapter of their careers in medicine.

The graduates are made up of exceptionally talented men and women from 7 different countries who consider the UAE their home. By empowering the next generation of medical professionals Al Jalila Foundation is supporting the UAE healthcare agenda and enabling these bright students to realise their dreams of becoming doctors and saving lives.

At Al Jalila Foundation we know that a medical profession is one of the most noble and anyone pursuing this goal will undoubtedly be of great service throughout their life.

The commencement of MBRU Class of 2022 marks a total of 56 Al Jalila Foundation scholarship graduates in nursing, dentistry, public health, pharmacy, molecular biology and biotechnology, among others at local institutions and three international scholarships at Harvard Medical School and Boston University. Since the scholarship program launch in 2013 Al Jalila Foundation has invested almost AED 20 million to nurture the next generation of doctors.

Stories of Hope

Baby Santhoshi is blossoming

Baby girl Santhoshi was born with a congenital heart problem ‘patent ductus arteriosus’, which is a hole in her heart. By the time she was two months old she was having great difficulty breathing and unable to gain weight, and the doctors confirmed that she needed urgent open-heart surgery to repair the cardiac malformation.

Santhoshi’s parents, who had been married for 13 years, were overjoyed at the birth of their first child and the news that their baby girl had very serious health complications was a devastating blow.

On top of the difficult diagnosis, Santhoshi’s father had been on a reduced salary due to the global pandemic and the family did not have the financial means to cover the costs of the life-saving surgery.

With the support of Al Jalila Foundation A’awen program, and the community that rallied together to raise the necessary funds on the A’awen Giving website, Santhoshi was able to undergo the open-heart surgery.

The operation was very successful. Santhoshi is blossoming and looks forward to a bright future with her loving parents.  “We cannot express our appreciation enough and are forever grateful that we were given the chance to be a happy family. Today our baby is healthy and always smiling thanks to the support from Al Jalila Foundation and the community.”

Stories of Hope

Hajra’s heart is whole again

Hajra was born with a life-threatening heart defect and needed urgent open-heart surgery to mend her heart and give her a chance at a brighter future.

Hajra is the only child to her parents who have called the UAE home for 9 years. Unfortunately, they were distressed and overwhelmed as they were unable to support the cost of this life-saving operation for their daughter. However, thanks to Al Jalila Foundation A’awen program, and the community that rallied together to raise the necessary funds on the A’awen Giving website, Hajra was able to undergo the open-heart surgery successfully.

The doctors are very happy with Hajra’s improvements as she was doing very well despite her complex heart surgery. Her heart is in good condition and she is even expected to make a full recovery and be off cardiac medication in a few months.

Her parents cannot express enough gratitude for the support they received, “We want to offer our sincere appreciation to Al Jalila Foundation and all of the donors who helped us to get the critical surgery for our precious daughter. This was her real chance of a healthy future and through A’awen Giving you made it happen so that Hajra can grow up happy and strong by our side.”

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Pioneering epigenetic-based analysis for liver cancer

Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and the sixth most prevalent cancer in the GCC countries. A survey by the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi reported liver cancer as the tenth most common cancer in the UAE and one of the top five leading causes of death in male cancer patients. Liver cancer shows significant gender bias, with incidence two to four times more common in males than females. This phenomenon is not fully understood, but the protective role of the estrogen hormone was reported.

To understand this critical issue, Al Jalila Foundation awarded a research grant to Dr Jibran Sualeh Muhammad from the University of Sharjah to study ‘Estrogen-induced epigenetic regulation of Iron metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma’.

The study showed that estrogen hormone and estrogen receptor agonists disrupt intracellular iron homeostasis by epigenetically downregulating the expression of crucial iron metabolism-related genes in liver cancer cells.

Identifying epigenetic-based gene silencing that could turn off gene expression in cancer cells is a new field of investigation in carcinogenesis. It is now becoming clear that input from the epigenetics-based analysis will continue to make ever-increasing contributions to liver cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy in the coming years.

Future studies would pave the way for further consideration of the complex relationship between estrogen hormone signaling and liver cancer cell death. Based on these findings, there is a possibility of innovation in terms of using estrogen-receptor agonists as an adjunct therapy to enhance liver cancer cells’ sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs.

To learn more about this study, please click here.

Stories of Hope

How a Dubai mum got help to beat cancer

Aisha Soud Mohammed, a 30-year-old mother from Kenya, who has been living in Dubai with her husband since 2018, was leading a normal life until she felt a few uneasy symptoms in December 2020. “I started noticing blood in my stool. I was worried and told my husband about it. We went to the hospital and met a specialist. After tests and scans that evening, the doctor asked for colonoscopy because they had noticed something abnormal,” said Aisha.

She went through colonoscopy, which was covered under her medical insurance. Subsequently, she was told by the hospital about the horrific diagnosis. “The doctor met me and said that I had Stage 3 colorectal cancer. I broke down. I couldn’t believe I had cancer at this age, but Alhamdulillah, Allah knows best,” she added.

In January 2021, she underwent a major surgery to excise the tumour. The surgery went off well and she had a colostomy bag as a life-saving support mechanism as she couldn’t pass stools normally. After the surgery, she started a follow-up treatment plan involving radiation therapy.

“All this was happening in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. So I couldn’t go home. I couldn’t be with my family. It was just me and my husband as my son lives with the rest of my family in my home country. It was the toughest time for us,” she said.

Soon after Aisha started her radiation therapy, her insurance cover got exhausted. Her company tried to support her as much as they could, but the treatment proved to be very expensive. “We started looking for charity to support the second part of my treatment, which involved chemotherapy. Thank God, Al Jalila Foundation responded to my application and helped me to become a cancer survivor,” Aisha said.

She appealed to the A’awen programme at Al Jalila Foundation which covered the entire cost of her remaining treatment plan. “I received from Al Jalila Foundation more than what I could have asked for. I cannot thank the foundation enough for their support. I’m happy that I was able to take the road back to a healthy life. Al Jalila Foundation gave me hope and a fighting chance,” Aisha said.”

After one year with the colostomy bag, she recently had it removed and the recovery phase started after successful completion of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Dr Abdukareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said the foundation gave hope to Aisha and other patients through the support of partners and donors. “At Al Jalila Foundation, we believe that health is the cornerstone of happiness and everyone deserves a second chance at health. With the support we receive, we are able to give hope to patients like Aisha and help alleviate their financial burden so that they can focus on treatment and recovery. Nothing makes us happier than experience the overwhelming joy from patients whose lives have been transformed after successful treatment. These are the precious moments that make our job at Al Jalila Foundation so rewarding.”

Note: Aisha’s story was published in Gulf News by Ali Al Shouk on 26 May 2022.

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Developing novel treatment for COVID-19

COVID-19 has disrupted the world, produced chaos and posed a significant threat to global health. Since the first outbreak, several treatments have been developed to prevent the spread of this virus with many vaccines approved and extensively administered. However, the fact that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly mutates makes the efficacy and safety of this approach constantly under debate and the development of small molecule antivirals are still needed to combat the infection.

To tackle this global challenge, Al Jalila Foundation took the lead to support promising local research to fight COVID-19. One of these studies is led by Professor Taleb Al-Tel from the University of Sharjah and is directed toward the discovery of small molecules that inhibits the proteases enzymes of the virus with the aim to discover first-in-class treatment options.

Professor Taleb’s research has developed modular and efficient strategies to access the core scaffolds of various classes of nature-inspired compound collection employing complexity-to-diversity strategy. From this collection, a relatively potent lead drug candidate was discovered that covalently binds to the main protease of the virus.

Another finding is the discovery of novel small molecules that are potent inhibitors of the papain-like protease of the virus which were tested using various infected cells. To validate these findings, the compounds are under further analysis using transcriptomic studies and investigating their effect on innate immune system.

These important findings form the foundation for the development of novel treatments for COVID-19 infections.

Stories of Hope

Battle Cancer leads the fight against cancer

Al Jalila Foundation was delighted to be the charity partner of the first Battle Cancer CrossFit Challenge in Dubai which brought together athletes of all abilities in the fight against cancer.

Battle Cancer Dubai is a one-day fitness challenge for teams of four which incorporates teamwork, high-intensity cardio, functional fitness and accessible weights. The teams were encouraged to raise as much funds possible for their chosen cancer charity and those who raised more received higher scores.

The global fitness fundraising challenge in partnership with XDubai and endorsed by the Dubai Sports Council took place at NAS Sports Complex. The participants were surprised with a visit from His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a sports enthusiast himself, who cheered on the teams as they competed for the top prize.

In the inaugural UAE edition of Battle Cancer the athletes and participants raised an incredible AED 120,000 for Al Jalila Foundation to support cancer research and treatment while spreading hope that the disease can be beaten. As a token of appreciation ‘Battle Cancer’ was added to Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed donor recognition wall marking their dedication to winning the battle against cancer.

Since establishment in 2017, Battle Cancer has demonstrated an incredible commitment to promote cancer awareness through sport and has raised almost AED 12 million for more than 50 cancer charities across the world.

Battle Cancer founder and director, Scott Britton, said: “We share XDubai’s ethos that being active is a life choice and that pushing yourself is the challenge. Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way and Battle Cancer connects a supportive community united with fun, fitness and philanthropy.”

Plans are already underway for the 2023 edition of Battle Cancer…stay tuned for more details.