All posts by maria Bagnulo

Stories of Hope

Lise is living cancer-free with a heart full of hope

In January 2020 Lise, a UAE resident of 28 years, was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine annual mammogram.

Having always lived a healthy lifestyle the news came as a shock and Lise felt that the ground had been pulled from under her.

She immediately started chemotherapy but to make matters worse, halfway through her treatments her insurance coverage had run out and she still needed the life-saving therapy and surgery.

Determined to fight the cancer and remain a good mother to her children she turned to Al Jalila Foundation for support and found the help she needed.

Lise is forever grateful for the support she received, “I was a bit nervous about being approved for charity assistance but the team at Al Jalila Foundation were very reassuring and embraced me. It is very comforting to know that there is a whole community of people behind me, supporting me financially and psychologically. I am proud to be living in the UAE and I am grateful that when in need I have been supported by my community.”

Although the surgery and the chemotherapy were very tough on Lise, by July she had the wonderful news that she was clear of the cancer. Today Lise’s advice to other women is “Get your annual mammogram, it can save your life. There is support out there. Just don’t give up.”

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Exploring treatment options for COVID-19

With the world now reaching over 300 million confirmed cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the urgency to find a cure is ever present.

Al Jalila Foundation is dedicated to supporting the global fight against COVID-19 and has invested in several vital research studies. While vaccines tackled some challenges, with continuously-evolving variants it is necessary to develop new antiviral agents that can work in parallel with vaccines to put an end to the global crisis.

Professor Mohammad Ghattas, from Al Ain University is researching new drug candidates as potential treatments for COVID-19 via targeting the main protease enzyme (Mpro) of the virus. Inhibiting such an enzyme by a small drug molecule was proven efficient in stopping the high virulent capability of the virus, introducing Mpro as the most promising drug target in the COVID-19 therapy.

The research group has utilised advanced computational approaches to screen a huge ligand library of more than 3.8 million ligands. This was followed by experimentally testing 57 compounds for their inhibition activity against the viral enzyme; two of which have been able to show promising inhibition activity and drug-like character.

The findings in this project can provide a strong basis for developing clinically useful drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 and potentially provide an extra tool to end the current long-lasting pandemic.

Stories of Hope

Community rallies together to help Marwan

9-year-old Marwan, from Sudan and living in Dubai, had been suffering from high pulmonary pressure and fibrosis in the lungs and needed urgent surgery. Unfortunately, his parents were struggling to fund the life- saving treatment.

The team at I Love Supersport Dubai, a UAE-based endurance training sports school, heard about young Marwan’s difficulties and organised a fundraiser ‘Challenge 50/50/50’ to support him. The aim of the challenge was to celebrate the UAE’s values of giving on the 50th National Day by raising AED 50,000 to fund Marwan’s surgery.

Endorsed by the Dubai Sports Council and coinciding with the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, 50 sports enthusiasts swam, biked, and ran for 50 consecutive hours, covering a total distance of 2,511km which is equal to the distance from Dubai to Khartoum, Marwan’s hometown.

Thanks to the I Love Supersport Dubai heroes’ incredible efforts and successful challenge, Marwan was able to undergo surgery right away and is now well on the road to recovery.

Marwan’s parents are overwhelmed but the incredible support they have received by the athletic community in Dubai: “We cannot thank Al Jalila Foundation enough for the support and all the kind strangers that became family. We are overwhelmed with emotion to find out how the community rallied together to help our son”.
Stories of Hope

Ali gets access to life-saving treatment

In 2019, husband and father Ali Kakaire began feeling unwell and daily life was becoming more and more of a struggle. In 2020, after many doctor appointments and tests Ali was diagnosed with ‘refractory Hodgkin lymphoma of nodular sclerosis subtype’. This meant that Ali needed to undergo treatment right away.

Ali’s insurance was able to cover much of the costs of his treatment, but it didn’t cover two vital new medications he needed which were very expensive. With a small salary and a family to support back home, this life-saving treatment seemed to be out of reach.

He was advised by his medical team to apply to Al Jalila Foundation’s A’awen treatment program to support his much-needed medication. Ali was overjoyed when his request was approved, and he was able to start his medication in February 2021.

Today Ali’s condition has improved greatly, he is responding very well to the treatment and is able to life a full life.

Ali expressed “I want to offer great appreciation to Al Jalila Foundation for their support and encouragement throughout my healing journey. I would also like to offer thanks to the donors of the Foundation for their generosity of heart and spirit to make a difference in the lives of patients like me.”

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Identifying susceptibility to diabetes after pregnancy

Approximately one in five women develop gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy, which has serious complications for both baby and mother, but fortunately reverses after delivery.

Women with this condition are at seven-fold higher risk of developing adult diabetes within 7-10 years after childbirth. However, it is difficult to predict which women with gestational diabetes would develop adult diabetes.

Professor Riad Bayoumi from Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) is leading a gestational diabetes research study “A novel model for investigating the genetic and environmental components of type 2 diabetes mellitus; a proof of principle’ to help foresee future diagnosis.

The study looked at Emirati women with a history of gestational diabetes who either developed or did not develop adult diabetes 10 years later. The team established a modified oral glucose tolerance test that enabled them to predict which of the women would develop adult diabetes in the future.

The analysis showed that women with predominant peripheral resistance to insulin, with raised fasting blood glucose levels during pregnancy, were at a greater risk of developing adult diabetes, compared to women with raised blood glucose following a meal.

The outcome suggested that women who identify at higher risk for diabetes, should follow a certain regimen after childbirth through frequent follow-ups, lifestyle modifications, and specific treatment protocols, to slow down the development of diabetes and improve their quality of life.

To learn more about this study please click here.

Stories of Hope

Mohammad’s adventurous spirit is blossoming

The Ta’alouf program has had a transformative effect on many families in the UAE who have become empowered to guide and support their children of determination to flourish and live to their full potential.

Mohammad Abdulla Alshehhi is a 16-year-old boy with autism whose mother, Alya, had the opportunity to attending of the Ta’alouf Parents Training in 2020.

Throughout the training Alya learned various strategies and technics and implemented them at home to discover which approach best worked for Mohammad to be successful and independent.

“The Ta’alouf program gave me great hope and tools that today I can use which have proved to be so beneficial for Mohammad and our family. It is wonderful to see how we now communicate and thrive together as a family.” Alya shared.

Mohammad has a passion for exploring the world around him and loves to travel. Alya is enthusiastic to nurture his adventurous nature and takes every opportunity to encourage his free spirit. With the World Expo 2020 held in Dubai is like a dream come true for Mohammad who is delighted to explore each pavilion and partake in activities.

Mohammad is always looking to expand his horizons and is even now applying to participate and compete in various sports activities alongside other children of determination to see how far he can really go.

Stories of Hope

Baby Khaled gets a new lease of life

When baby Khaled was born his parents were overjoyed for the wonderful blessing in their life. Unfortunately, shortly after his birth it was discovered that he had a congenital heart defect that was life-threatening. However, thanks to advances in medicine hope was not lost for baby Khaled. The doctors confirmed that he would need two open-heart surgeries before the age of two in order to live a full and healthy life.

His parents were thrilled to know their son had a chance at life but also at a loss as to how they were going to be able to fund the surgeries.

The medical team recommended they apply to Al Jalila Foundation paediatric program, Farah, to help them fund the needed treatment. Much to their relief, their prayers were answered and Khaled was able to get the medical care he needed.

Khaled’s father was overwhelmed with joy: “Words cannot express the gratitude we have for the generous support we have received for our son’s life-saving treatment. Al Jalila Foundation stepped in to help us when we needed it the most and we are so happy to have our beloved son now by our side.”

Both the surgeries were successful and little Khaled is in stable condition and growing into a healthy and happy young boy.

Stories of Hope

EWINGS contributes to life-saving treatment for young patient

Since establishment, EWINGS managing operator of Mahzooz has been a champion for Al Jalila Foundation and our patient treatment program. In 2020 EWINGS made a donation, on behalf of Mahzooz, to support patients in need and added their name on Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed donor wall in recognition of their support.

Following the launch of Al Jalila Foundation A’awen Giving website, EWINGS saw the opportunity to support individual patients and make a real difference in their life.  After carefully reviewing the patient stories the team adopted the case of a very deserving young man, Abdulrahman.

13-year-old Abdulrahman had developed severe maxillofacial (mouth and jaw) cysts that meant he was unable to eat or sleep due to the obstructions and relentless pain.  Urgent surgery was needed to remove the cysts so he could live a happy pain-free life. Almost 200 individuals donated online to help Abdulrahman, and EWINGS, on behalf of Mahzooz, offered to cover the remaining sum needed to reach 100% of the campaign’s fundraising target for his surgery.

Mahzooz is dedicated to giving back to the community and making people’s dreams come true.  Farid Samji, CEO of EWINGS, said “Contributing to noble causes is always on top of the priority list of Mahzooz.  We will continue to extend our support to people in need through our community partners like Al Jalila Foundation. This agreement is one of the many endeavours that underline EWINGS’ commitment to giving back to the community.”

Watch the heartfelt testimony from Abdulrahman’s mother here.

Research Matters, Stories of Hope

Scientist explores effects of oxytocin on heart disease

According to the World Heart Federation over 17 million people die from cardiovascular disease annually making it the leading causes of death globally. It is also the primary cause of death in the UAE contributing to 30% of fatalities.

To tackle this problem, Al Jalila Foundation funds several research studies in the UAE including one lead by Professor Anatoliy Shmygol from United Arab Emirates University. Professor Anatoliy’s study works to discover the mechanisms of direct effects of oxytocin on cardiac electrophysiology and excitation-contraction.

Oxytocin is often referred to as the “hormone of happiness” and is associated with childbirth, breast feeding and maternal behavior. However, in recent years, it has become clear that oxytocin plays a much wider role in human biology.

It is involved in various physiological processes including cardiovascular function. Oxytocin has been found to play a protective role against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and against the diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy.

Professor Anatoliy and his team have discovered, in addition to their known expression in cardiac myocytes, oxytocin receptors are also expressed in cardiac fibroblasts.

The research has found that application of oxytocin to normal cardiac fibroblasts triggers robust increases of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration. Future work is planned to evaluate the pathophysiological significance and this work will provide theoretical basis for development of new therapeutics to treat heart disease.

Stories of Hope

Salama has a bright future ahead

Salama was born with a congenital heart defect that could be potentially life-threatening as she grew older. The doctors continuously monitored to assess her condition and decide on the best course of treatment. By the age of three and a half years old it was recommended that she needed to undergo open heart surgery urgently to repair the hole in her heart.

Salama’s parents were desperate to follow through with the much-needed surgery but found the cost of the procedure well out of their reach. Upon recommendation from the medical team, they applied for financial support from Al Jalila Foundation and were relieved to be able to access the crucial help for young Salama.

“Our distress over our daughter’s health was already too much to bear and the financial strain made it even more overwhelming. Today we could not be more happy and grateful for the incredible support we received from Al Jalila Foundation who gave Salama a new lease of life!”

Salama’s open heart surgery was successfully carried out at the end of 2020 and today she is an energetic toddler living a full and happy life without any complications.