Ambrose, Taufel attend birthday celebrations of thalassaemic children

Former great West Indian fast bowler Curtly Ambrose and Australian pacer Simon Taufel along with renowned commentator Barry Wilkinson visited the Omair Sana Foundation in Karachi on Friday and urged the people to donate blood regularly as thousands of children suffering from thalassaemia and other blood disorders regularly needed donors’ blood to live a normal life.

Accompanied by eminent cricket analyst and cancer specialist Dr Kashif Ansari, Ambrose and Taufel attended the birthday party of thalassaemic children at the Omair Sana Foundation (OSF) and praised the management of the foundation for treating the children with blood disorders.

Ambose said healthy people should donate blood regularly as thousands of children suffering from blood disorders depended on blood donations to live a normal life. He added that blood donors remained healthy and fit by donating blood regularly.

Taufel felicitated the foundation on providing free of charge care and treatment to hundreds of children suffering from blood disorders and vowed to raise the voice for these children at every forum.

Commentator Wilkinson also vowed to highlight the sufferings of children with thalassaemia and other blood disorders, and said he would be part of an awareness drive to eliminate this preventable disease from countries where it was still killing children.

Chairman OSF Dr Kashif Ansari briefed the former cricket legends about the functioning of the foundation, saying they were not only providing care and treatment to children with thalassaemia but were also engaged in research, while efforts were being made to create awareness about this preventable disease.

“Your arrival at the OSF centre is another effort to raise awareness about thalassaemia and this is part of our awareness activities. We are conducting research on drugs that reduce blood dependence among children with thalassaemia, while we are providing different services to parents and young couples so that this disease could be prevented in Pakistan,” Dr Ansari said.

Children cut their birthday cakes in the presence of cricket legends, who visited various sections of the foundation and voiced their support for it.