Tag Archives: lifestyle
Generous gift from ‘stranger’ could save Sarah-Jean’s life
Generous gift from ‘stranger’ could save Sarah-Jean’s life Sarah Young / 21 June 2013 A generous last-minute gift from a person who wishes to remain anonymous in the UAE will see an Abu-Dhabi girl get the life-saving operation she needs. Sarah-Jean Masinas, 20, who lives in Abu Dhabi, has Acute Myleoid Leukemia (AML), and requires a bone-marrow transplant. After a year of searching for a donor, she finally found a match through a hospital in Sweden — but the operation came with a Dh900,000 price tag, and a time limit. Her parents, who earn Dh7,000 between them a month, have been fundraising for months to find the amount before they meet with the Swedish Embassy on June 23 to seek a visa. Given the aggressive nature of her cancer, and the fact her body cannot take any more chemotherapy, the operation must go ahead in early July when the donor is ready. Her mother, Rosalie Masinas, was overjoyed on Thursday to find out they had reached their target, thanks to a charity auction earlier this week which raised Dh46,000 — and a mysterious auction-goer who pledged to donate any remaining dirhams needed to reach the total. This donation turned out to be a generous Dh61,500, she said. The family had also raised Dh14,000 through the online donation site http://www.youcaring.com/ since a Khaleej Times article about her daughter’s plight was published on June 17, Masinas said. “I was so excited. I don’t know how to describe it, but I’m really, really happy. I just want to thank everyone so much. When they transferred the remaining amount, I was really crying. I was just so relieved. And maybe I will be crying again in the second week of July, if we get the visa and it can go ahead.” Masinas said her daughter had been shocked, and kept asking if it was really true. “She couldn’t believe it, either. She was crying, too.” Sarah-Jean was diagnosed with AML in 2010 when she returned to her home-country of the Philippines to study radiology. She was treated with chemotherapy in the UAE and the illness went into remission, but returned last year and doctors have said a transplant is the only option left. Dubai resident Zeina Naim was the driver behind the The Gramercy’s Charity Auction Night hosted by Virgin Radio’s DJ Kris Fade on Monday evening. “I found out about Sarah’s case just after trying to help a little girl with the same type of Leukemia, called Lea Joven who unfortunately passed away last November. My friends and I read about Sarah-Jean and since we had some knowledge about charities here who may be able to help, like Friends of Cancer Patients in Sharjah, and a bit about hospitals abroad that do bone marrow transplants we reached out to Sarah’s mom, and started our plight to raise money for Sarah.” sarah@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
‘Start Walking’ to prevent diabetes
‘Start Walking’ to prevent diabetes Olivia Olarte-Ulherr / 20 June 2013 A 30-minute brisk walk everyday can help, manage, reverse and even prevent diabetes. So, start walking. This was the message imparted by health and sports officials on Wednesday during the launch of ‘Start Walking’, a public health awareness campaign by the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC). Richard Cregan, Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, Suhail Al Ansari and Dr Michael Bitzer during the launch of the ‘Start Walking’ campaign in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. — KT photo by Shoaib Anwer Part of the ICLDC’s seventh ‘Diabetes-Knowledge-Action’ annual campaign, ‘Start Walking’ aims to encourage individuals, groups and organisations to hold mini-walks from now till November in the lead-up to Walk 2013 walkathon at Yas Marina Circuit on November 15, the day after World Diabetes Day. “Studies have shown that 150 minutes per week or 30 minutes per day of brisk walking can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 58 per cent. That’s a huge reduction and we recommend this for everybody,” said Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, director-general of Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD). According to 2012 figures from the International Diabetes Federation, the UAE ranked 11 th worldwide in the prevalence of diabetes with an estimated 18.9 per cent of the adult population (20-79 years) living with the disease. “A relative improvement,” said Dr Barakat, noting that the UAE at one stage was top two. She attributed this to the efforts and initiatives, both at the local and federal level, as well as the media in raising awareness at schools and improving the community’s lifestyle. “It’s a remarkable impact when there are concerted efforts,” she pointed out. She stated, however, that 18.9 per cent is still “far too high”, three times the normal average of six per cent diabetes prevalence worldwide. Thus, more efforts are needed to encourage people here to be fit and healthy. This means doing physical activity such as exercise, having a healthy diet, maintaining normal body weight, smoking cassation and cutting down on salt intake, among others. Walking events that have been scheduled as part of the campaign include a 3km brisk walk on the ICLDC premises in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain on June 24, and ‘Take the Stairs Day’ at Daman’s office and the ICLDC’s centres on July 1. “Let us encourage one another, take the steps. Park your car a bit further and walk. A healthier workforce translates to more productivity,” remarked Suhail Al Ansari, executive director of Mubadala Healthcare and Chairman of the ICLDC. At the Yas Marina Circuit, host venue for Walk 2013, TrainYAS and GoYAS fitness sessions on the track is being held weekly. “We too want more people to put on their walking shoes and join us each week. Talking while walking is a great, family-friendly way to catch up on your day and keep fit together,” said Richard Cregan, CEO of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management. Noting the financial impact and the social implication of diabetes if action is not taken now, Dr Michael Bitzer, CEO of the National Health Insurance Company, Daman, stressed the “fun” factor in walking. “We do not only focus that walking is healthy, walking can be fun (too). Have fun, then you can do it everyday,” he said. Daman will be participating this year through its health and lifestyle programme ‘ActiveLife’. Coming events 3km walk on ICLDC premises in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain on June 24 ‘Take the Stairs Day’ at Daman’s office and the ICLDC’s centres on July 1 Walk 2013 at Yas Marina Circuit on November 15 olivia@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Emirates named World’s Best Airline
Dubai-based Emirates has received the World's Best Airline prize at the Skytrax 2013 World Airline Awards.The company is one of the fastest growing carriers on the planet and scooping this prestigious accolade will enhance its status even further.It also won the Best Middle East Airline gong for the ninth consecutive year, as well as the World's Best In-flight Entertainment award.This particular prize-giving is highly respected throughout the aviation industry, as the winners are voted for by more than 18 million business and leisure travellers from across 160 countries.Emirates has played a huge part in establishing Dubai International Airport as the second busiest on earth in terms of annual passenger numbers.The firm continues to add new services to far-flung destinations, ensuring the UAE is one of the most accessible countries in the world. Last year alone, 39 million people flew with Emirates and many of these passengers would have spent some time in Dubai.President of the organisation Tim Clark collected the awards at the recent Paris Airshow and he was delighted with the company's achievements.”These awards are widely regarded as the industry's benchmark for excellence. For us, the awards clearly reflect a vote of confidence from global travellers, who acknowledge and appreciate our continuous drive to deliver high-quality service,” he commented.”To be voted World's Best Airline by millions of discerning travellers really is something for our 60,000 strong workforce to be proud of.”Aviation experts predict that Emirates will go from strength to strength in the coming years and this is good news for Dubai's tourism sector, as 66 million air passengers are expected to land at the main airport throughout 2013. This figure is likely to rise annually for the foreseeable future.Not only is Dubai International expanding rapidly, but the city's second airport – Dubai World Central, otherwise known as Al Maktoum International Airport – is also set to launch passenger services for the first time in October 2013. Continue reading
