At the age of five, she was diagnosed with Thalassemia Major “B”.

Thalassemia is a disease which was originally widespread in the Mediterranean Basin, South-East Asia and various countries in equatorial Africa. Following its persistent migration over the planet, it is today verifiable in almost all  regions of the globe.

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder which is characterized by a reduced or erroneous production of hemoglobin, the respiratory pigment contained in the red cells, and the defect first appears in those cells in the bone marrow.

Transfusion therapy has been the only available treatment for Ja. That means regular hospital visits for monthly blood transfusions and a daily subcutaneous drug infusion. But today it is possible to cure the disease through a bone marrow transplant which replaces diseased cells with healthy ones.

At present, bone marrow transplants in Canada are only done with a perfectly matched donor from a sibling and there is no matching donor for Ja. In Italy, they have developed a new technique using one of the parents as a bone marrow donor. The results are very promising.

Fortunately, Ja has been accepted for this procedure that might start in September of this year 2006. For Ja, now age 20, this is her best chance for a cure and to live a healthy life. The older she becomes, the more damage blood transfusions and drug therapy will do, and can face more complications to do a bone-marrow transplant. Time is very important.

To achieve this goal, Ja and her family must move to Italy for a period of 6 months or more. The operation itself costs around $200,000. At present there is no guarantee that her BC Medical Plan will help cover any of the costs of the transplant.

JA and her family are looking to make her “dream of a cure” come true. To this end, any help would be greatly appreciated.