Karma Lebanon Charity: Providing Hope for Lebanese Children with Dr. Layal Issa

What’s up everybody? This is Fred bashani in this interview, we chat with Karma libnan Project Director Dr Leal Isa she works with Karma libnan the amazing organization. That is funding medical treatment for underprovided children with cancer Andia living in lebnan you can donate by visiting Karma leborgne. We strongly encourage you to make a donation? Well, Dr Le Isa MD. Thank you so much for joining us Dr Le is the Karma iation executive director. We’re here to talk about this amazing organization in libnan the NGO known as Karma which helps children with chronic illnesses, especially cancer Dr Leo. Thank you so much for the time. How’s everything going?

Hi BR, thank you so much for having us today. Well, we’re doing good. We’re doing good despite all the challenges happening in the country. And in the area. We’re still trying our best running a fundraising campaign since April 2024 hoping that we can at least raise the money needed to cover the fees for hospitalization of our 89 patients currently Karma is running a Palestinian project that provides comprehensive multidisiplinary care to 89 patient with the transfusion dependent tmia. One patients regardless of their ethnicity or their nationality any patients in need we try to provide them with the support needed in order to save their lives this number one and the most important thing for Karma is to improve the quality of lives of these patients because we care about raising?

Them accompanying them until they become productive adults. We don’t want them to be H unable to be independent unable to work unable to go to college who want them to be fully independent and functional in order to be available to support the community, which stood by them and supported them when they were in need. That’s amazing. What came first for you was it going into the medical field or was it philanthropy and how did you eventually get involved with Karma. I started by getting into the medical field and then when I was studying Pediatrics hematology and oncology in one of the patients I met Maran at one of the hospitals during one of her visits to the cancer patient who she was overseeing their treatment and trying to support them with the cost of their treatment.

So with time Me and Mar we became acquaintances then she told me that they want to start Karma and Lebanon. They want to legalize and try to put a framework for the work they’re doing with the kids with cancer. So we started the Karma. I was a board member at the beginning, then I was elected president and then currently I’m the executive director. So, this is how I was introduced to philanthropy this was my first experience that’s awesome. You mentioned Miriam Miriam is of course the founder of caro, but the name believe the name Miriam also held. So, you don’t forget because that’s also the name of the very first patient who was helped by Karma.

So when Marian the co-founder was in Lebanon during a visit mariam’s used to live in Switzerland back then she met some friends after she left back one of these friends he contacted her that he has a cousin her name is medium and she had a rare type of Leukemia and she needed the bone Mar transplantation, which was a very expensive procedure back then and the family could not afford it. So maram started her effort try to fund for this patient few months later the money was collected and Miriam did her B B Mar transplantation and currently she’s a 12y old healthy girl your team specializes in chronic and severe diseases within children and Adolescence of course cancer being the main one.

But also another illness that I don’t think a lot of people are familiar with which is the lemia as yes. So, can you just explain that kind of what that looks like and how prevalent is in Liv n and what you’re all doing to kind of combat that because I don’t think a lot of people are familiar with that particular illness. So Delia is a genetic love disorder. That’s common among the countries of the Mediterranean, but currently it’s important to highlight that it’s a that epidemiology has been changing because of the current migrations to different countries. So now you can find thean any country in the world.

Not just in not just in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean two to 3% of the Lebanese population are carriers of the tasmia trade, which is quite a good percentage. This is why now it’s mandatory in order to be able to register the marriage and leanon you have to do. Some blood tests, which some of them are relevant to cemia. So patients with cemia, they cannot produce red blood cells. So they are in need of chronic regular blood transfusions in order to H maintain a healthy life with this comes the complications of increasing iron overload in their bodies because of the current transfusions. So they have to take what we call iron culation medications in order to help excrete the excess irons from their bodies to prevent the toxicity these medications are very expensive and currently they’re not available in the Lebanese market.

So the patients usually struggle with Providing these medications in addition to the cost of hospitalization or the rectic transfusions and because of the familiarity of this disease and its spread in Lebanon. And the need among an intervention among the vulnerable Lebanese population with Tasia and the refugees population present in Lebanon with salmia. Karma decided to take action actually the project that we are currently running. It was started by Doctors Without Waters operational Center Paris they run this project for five years in baa area. And then they came to a point that they need to hand over the project to a local organization to take care of continue caring for these patients and after negotiations the project was handed over to Karma since June 2023.

We’ve been running this project we’ve had around 130 patients with Salia. So far and we our current cward is 89 patients with tmia, I’m backgrounds Providing them with all the Care they need to lead a healthy life as much as possible. Of course, with all the great work. You’re doing comes as challenges right over the years. Of course the co huge right? There was the tragic explosion and then now kind of the threats of War kind of are rising. So and on top all that inflation extreme. So, how’s it been in terms of being able to get resources and care to these children in the last four years with everything going?

On. Well, it has been tough it has not been easy, but you know what we try to do at Karma is we try to create a network for collaboration. We do what we can do we try to collaborate with other NGS that work with the for example lots of ngos. They worked with the depos it. So in case any of our patients was in need of anything. We would refer them. We collaborated with the ministry of Public Health for the vaccination of the patient were eligib for the covid vaccination back then we provided our patients with masks and hygiene kits in order to be able to protect themselves from getting Co.

So we did the basic things was with instructions about Co how it’s translit it how to prevent it as much as possible. What precautions they should take then after the explosion. It was you the same that happened with everyone the limitations of the resources, but we continued with the with our efforts and advocacy and this is what we’re still doing now. We’re doing our best to advocate for the best of the patients despite of all the difficult situations currently the situation with everything that’s happening in Palestine and the shift of the AIDS towards the emergency there. It also puts us in a bit other the tough situations financially it makes it harder for us to obtain institutional fund in order to sustain the project.

But we try always to do our best there’s always work with Kama and that’s it. You’re certainly doing your best commend you all for that. And you talk about the resources and everything else. Obviously Karma solist donations volunteers, that’s all great works with different NOS, but in terms of resources are there any specific resources you’re organ organization is looking at or looking to acquire any medical supplies anything that everyday people can donate to besides just money and their time. Yes, of course, most importantly people can donate blood. Our patients need around 160 blood units per month and with the current. Absence if you want of the voluntary blood donation from our culture we try our best to do awareness campaigns blood donation campaigns to encourage people to donate blood for these patients in order to and provide a sustainable blood supply for them.

So that they are not late for their transfusion schedules. So, of course, people can donate blood people can donate if they have access to the iron culation medications. They can donate iron cation medications they can donate vitamin D supplementation. They can donate some medical consumables for the patients. They can simply spread our word they can simply share our videos because along with the fundraising campaign that we started in April. We started an awareness campaign about tmia? How it can be prevented how it should be managed how the what are the things that our it patients go through what struggles and challenges their families go through.

So they can always share our videos to spread the word about calmia about Karma about the needs of our patients in addition theia, of course, you do manage chronic illnesses Cancer Care as well. Yeah. Are there any forms of cancer or chronic illness that you’ve seen emerge just the last four years with Co with the change in like the environment the explosion, everything else that maybe people should be aware of family should be keeping an eye on particularly with their children not specifically usually leukemia is the most common type of cancer among the Pediatrics. It’s the most common type of blood cancer R pediatric patients.

Usually it’s very important to keep following up with the pediatrician in case of any emerging signs of the weakness. Satig just these These are an alarming signs for patients. So just do not ignore the red flags and try to get a consultation as soon as possible this way. You can if there is there something like going on, you can find it out. On time before it’s too late something feels weird if something feels off stay vigilant. Yes. Amazing. Well, Dr L, you’ve been so gracious with your time. We appreciate all the work that you do that the Karma team does. Before we let you go, we’ll get you out on a high note.

For people who haven’t been convinced already, why should people donate and volunteer to Karma because what Karma is Providing for the patients is a service that’s not be provided by any other organization and it’s not the capacity of the ministry of Public Health to it’s not within their capacity to oversee the treatment of all palmia patients in leanon the other thing is usually donors they try to stay away from chronic diseases, but these patient our children it’s their basic, right access to health. So we try to advocate for this these patients they can live nearly a normal life. If they are just be well, followed if they receive their transfusions on time.

If they take them medications that they should take they can lead a healthy life people with salinia they can live up to 70 years old. I have seen a 70y old patient with Salia in Italy and that’s my passion. I want my patients to live, as long as possible because it’s their right to have access to health and it’s my mandate as a doctor as a physician to try to make this possible for them incredible. Well, Dr Le. Thank you so much for your time. Before we let you go, where can we find you and Karma online and where can we find you all next any upcoming events.

We should be on the look out for any additional fundraisers or promotions. You can check our current campaign on the website the donation websites on the whole you can check our Facebook page our Instagram page where we have all the material the awareness material. We talk about all the events, that’s going to happen all our fundraising events all the events that we have with the patients our hospital visits. You can find everything you need on our website also and you can always reach out to me for any further information that you need. If you if anyone would like to visit our unit. We have AIA unit inas governmental Hospital in Lebanon and Z specifically in B area, which is a deprived area this why we are running our project.

There. So, you can reach out to Karma through our email info Karma d.org or you can visit our website k.org where you have all the necessary contact information there. Amazing Dr L, thank you so much for the time and thank you and your team for everything you do. Thank you sprad, thank you.