Our Vision
What We Do
When a person is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, it can be a frightening experience for the whole family. We provide information and offer practical and emotional support to the affected individuals and their families. We offer improvement in standards of support and care and promote the importance of early detection
How You Can Help
Service Users
There are various devastating conditions/illnesses that hinder an individual’s journey through life. The affected people are fellow human beings in need of help and assistance. Together we can make a difference to:
Cancer Patients
Cancer is a disease of the cells in the body. The body is made up of millions of tiny cells. Every part of the body such as organs, bones, muscles, skin, and blood has different specialized cells. All cells have a centre called a nucleus that contains genes made from DNA. The genes control the functions of the cell. There are numerous types of cancer arising in different types of cells. Cancer develops with the abnormal and uncontrolled multiplication of cells.
Causes of Cancer
Cancer initially starts from one abnormal cell. Certain vital genes controlling the division and multiplication of cells get altered or damaged ultimately resulting in the cell abnormality. If the abnormal cell survives, it may multiply uncontrollably into a cancerous (malignant) tumor.
Every human being is at risk of developing cancer. A number of cancers seem to develop for no apparent reason. However, certain risk factors are known to increase the chance that one or more of one’s cells will become abnormal and lead to cancer. Risk factors include the following:
Age
The older one gets, the more likely that one will develop a cancer. This is due to an accumulation of old cells over time. Also, the body's defense and resistance against abnormal cells become weak with old age. Aging affects the ability to repair damaged cells and the immune system weakens ultimately becoming less efficient. Consequently, a single damaged cell may manage to survive and multiply resulting into the development of cancer. For the same reasons, older people are more prone to develop cancers.
Lifestyle Factors
Diet and other lifestyle factors such as smoking, exercising, alcoholism, etc. can increase or decrease the risk of developing cancer.
For instance:
If you eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, you have a reduced risk of developing certain cancers. These foods are rich in vitamins and minerals, and also contain chemicals called antioxidants. They may protect the body against damaging chemicals that get into the body. Therefore, it must be made sure to include some portions of fruit and vegetables in everyday diet.
• Eating excessive fatty food possibly increases the risk of developing certain cancers
• The risk of developing certain cancers is increased by obesity, lack of regular exercise, drinking too much alcohol, and eating red meat in excessive portions
Radiation
Radiation is carcinogenic and exposure to radioactive materials and nuclear fallout can increase the risk of leukemia and other cancers. Excessive sun exposure and sunburn (radiation from UVA and UVB) increase the risk of developing skin cancer. The higher the exposure to radiation, the greater is the risk of cancer development. However, it must be remembered that there is a decreased risk with a temporary exposure such as a single X-ray test.
Immune System
People with a poor immune system have an increased risk of developing certain cancers. For example, people with AIDS or people on immunosuppressive therapy are more vulnerable to get cancers.
Genetic Make-up
Some cancers have a strong genetic link. For example, certain childhood cancers are inherited. Other types of cancer may have some ambiguous genetic factors. In some cases, people are less resistant to the effect of carcinogens or other factors such as diet.
Sickle Cell
Sickle cell is a serious inherited blood disorder in which the red blood cells carrying oxygen around the body develop abnormally.
The most affected populations are African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Eastern Mediterranean and Asian.
Normal red blood cells are flexible and disc-shaped. However, sickle cell disease transforms these cells to become rigid and crescent-shaped.
The sickle-shaped cells contain defective hemoglobin - the iron-rich protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
The abnormal cells are also unable to move around as easily as normal shaped cells and can block blood vessels, resulting in tissue and organ damage and episodes of severe pain.
Such episodes are known as a sickle cell crisis or a vaso-occlusive crisis. They can last from a few minutes to several months; although on average most last 5-7 days.
The abnormal blood cells also have a shorter lifespan and are not replaced as swiftly as normal blood cells. This leads to a shortage of red blood cells known as anemia.
Symptoms of anemia include lethargy (a lack of energy), tiredness and breathlessness (particularly after exercise).
The Genetics of Sickle Cell Anemia
Genes come in pairs. You receive one copy of a gene from your mother and one copy from your father.
In sickle cell anemia, the individual possesses a pair of mutated genes - one mutated gene from mother and one from father.
If a person has one mutated gene, he may not have sickle cell anemia. But, he will be considered a carrier of the sickle cell gene. This is often referred to as having the sickle cell trait. It is estimated that 1/10 people with an African or Caribbean descent have the sickle cell trait.
If you are a carrier, you would not usually notice any obvious symptoms unless you are in a low-oxygen area, such as on the top of a mountain. If both you and your partner have the sickle cell trait, there is a risk that your children will inherit a pair of mutated genes and develop sickle cell anemia.
The chances of Sickle Cell Anemia being passed on are:
• One in four chances that your baby will receive a pair of normal hemoglobin genes
• One in two chances that your baby will receive one normal gene and one mutated gene and be a carrier of the sickle cell gene
• One in four chances that your baby will receive a pair of mutated genes and have sickle cell anemia
If one partner has the sickle cell trait and the other partner has normal hemoglobin, their baby would not develop sickle cell anemia. However, there is a one in two chances that the baby will have the sickle cell trait.
If you have sickle cell anemia and your partner has the sickle cell trait (or vice versa), any baby you conceive will have a one in two chances of developing sickle cell anemia. This is because they will surely receive a mutated gene from you, and there is a one in two chances they will also receive a mutated gene from your partner.
Kidney Disease
Causes
Serious kidney diseases may lead to a complete kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant to stay alive. While effective treatments are available for many kidney diseases, people are sometimes unaware of the fact that kidney disease(s) can often be prevented. The following are the ten major causes of kidney disease.
In most of the developed countries such as the USA, two leading causes of kidney failure, also called end stage kidney disease or ESRD, are diabetes (also called Type 2, or adult onset diabetes) and high blood pressure. When these two diseases are controlled by treatment, the associated kidney disease can often be prevented or slowed down. Healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and regular exercise, often help to control, and may even help to prevent, high blood pressure.
Careful control of blood sugar in diabetics helps to prevent such complications as kidney disease, coronary heart disease and stroke. When diabetics have associated high blood pressure, special drugs called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may help to protect their kidney function.
The third leading cause of end stage kidney disease in the U.S. is glomerulonephritis - a disease that damages the kidneys' filtering units, called the glomeruli. In many cases, the cause of this disease is not known, but some cases may be inherited and others may be triggered by an infection.
Some of the other diseases that may affect the kidneys include infections, kidney stones and inherited diseases such as polycystic kidney disease. The kidneys can also be damaged by overuse of some over-the-counter pain killers and by taking illegal drugs such as heroin. Some of these diseases can be cured. In other cases, treatments can help to slow the disease and prolong life.
End stage kidney disease occurs when about 90 percent of kidney function has been lost. People with kidney failure may experience nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, confusion, difficulty concentrating and loss of appetite. It can be diagnosed by blood and urine tests.
Services
Clinical Services
The Foundation is affiliated to hospitals and clinics offering their services to our service users.
Educational Service
The Foundation supports children up to 18 years who are less fortunate and are unable to access quality education. Every year, we support children who are not able to study due to their diseases and terrible conditions. Those who qualify are helped to take advantage of the educational system thus achieving their full potential.
Counseling Service
We offer free counseling service to those who need it. We have hired counselors who help distressed or bereaved individuals. The services are provided at various health centers around the country.
Chiropractic Service
A Chiropractor assesses those in need of this service. The qualified applicant is then given a number of sessions at the practice.
