‘Jeena Issi ka Naam Hai’: World Thalassemia Day observed in Swat

The event was organised by Al-Fajar Foundation in collaboration with Swat Public School and College.

MINGORA:

“I am normal and live a normal life according to my wishes. I paint for it’s a passion and I paint to show the world that I am no less than a normal person,” Mehwish told The Express Tribune with a sparkle in her eyes. She suffers from thalassemia and is one of the 40,000 children and young adults who have the disorder.

An event titled ‘Jeena Issi ka Naam Hai’ observed World Thalassemia Day on Wednesday and was organised by Al-Fajar Foundation in collaboration with Swat Public School and College at the latter’s premises. “Though the world thinks us vulnerable and weak, I never felt so,” said the first-year college student at a stall where she was showcasing her artwork.

According to experts, the number of children with the blood disorder in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa clocks at more than half the total number reported across the country. They urged people to conduct blood tests before getting married – an indispensible tool for the prevention of the disease.

Fazal Mabood, the father of one of the children participating in the event, told The Express Tribune, “We constantly worry about arranging blood for our child. As the transfusion day gets closer our heart rate goes up.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2013.