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Airline reaches out to help the needy

DUBAI — To save her life, Lorna Gascon, who suffers from acute myelocytic leukemia, needs a bone marrow transplant.

Unfortunately for her, this treatment is not available at the Tawam Hospital in Abu Dhabi where she is presently confined.

Faced with this predicament, Ms Gascon appealed, through the auspices of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, to her fellow Filipinos to help her finance the necessary funding for her to have this treatment overseas.

In response to her plight, the Filipino community without hesitation set about organising a string of fund-raising events to raise the Dh100,000. To raise such an amount is a major challenge and, upon being asked for support by the Philippine Embassy's Labour Attache, Ms Annabella M. Oliveros, Cathay Pacific Airways stepped up to the mark and immediately agreed to participate in the project.

"Cathay Pacific has long been a strong supporter of the worthy causes and charity drives of the Filipino community here in the UAE. The Filipino community is very important to us, and if we can in some small way say thank you to the community through helping someone in dire need, we are pleased to do so. Ms Gascon's situation is an urgent one and I'm glad that we can help," said Philip Herbert, Cathay Pacific's Country Manager for UAE and Oman.

Reflecting on the airline's support and fund-raising, Ms Oliveros of the Philippine Embassy said that she is "hoping that more kindred spirits like Cathay Pacific will help us raise the money necessary for Ms Gascon's operation. The Philippine Embassy as well as the Filipino community in the UAE will continue efforts for her".

As part of the fund-raising efforts, Cathay Pacific sponsored the top prize of a travel package to Manila. This provided boost to bring in over Dh45,000 during the fund-raising event. The Filipino community is continuing its drive to raise the balance of the funds needed for Ms Gascon's operations.