Dear friends, The Ana Rukavina Foundation is organizing a humanitarian action “I want life” this December as well, which continues the work on improving Croatian hematology. By calling 060 9000, citizens will be able to donate HRK 5.00 (plus VAT) throughout December to support this commendable action. As in previous years, the aim of the action is to raise funds for further expansion of the Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry and professional development of young doctors in the field of hematology and other related specializations. Given the unfavorable epidemiological situation caused by the coronavirus, this year there will be no traditional humanitarian concert on Ban Jelačić Square. However, the Ana Rukavina Foundation and the Foundation’s partner Nova TV are preparing a holiday program that will be broadcast on December 19 on the Nova TV program, the DNEVNIK.hr portal and the DNEVNIK.hr Facebook page.
“For the first time in 14 years, the traditional Christmas concert will not be held on Ban Josip Jelačić Square due to the COVID-19 disease pandemic. We thank all the health workers, cleaners, nurses, doctors who watch over people’s lives day and night. Ana’s cry and desire for life have never made more sense than today, when the desire for health and life as we knew it is the desire of all of us. Let’s protect each other’s health, appreciate life and show the great Croatian heart again, ” said Marija Rukavina, director of the Ana Rukavina Foundation.
This year’s concert I Want Life will be held on Saturday, December 19, with the most beautiful performances by Croatian pop stars Severina and Petar Graša, which will further warm the hearts of the audience in this pre-Christmas time of love and giving.
Citizens can give their contribution today by calling the humanitarian number 060 9000 provided by Hrvatski Telekom. The price of the call is HRK 5.00 (plus VAT), and calls are possible throughout December.
Also, this year, all citizens will be able to make payments through the KEKS Pay Erste Bank application, which enables fast, easy and secure sending of payments without fees. The KEKS Pay application can be downloaded and used free of charge by all citizens, regardless of which bank they have an account with.
By scanning the QR code (at the bottom of the text) through the KEKS Pay application, you can donate quickly and easily, you only need to enter the desired amount to be donated.
You can also donate through the KEKS Pay application by clicking on this link.
The persistent work and commitment of the Foundation enabled the establishment of the public Umbilical Cord Blood Bank Ana Rukavina and to expand the Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry within the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, which gave 125 sick patients hope for saving their lives. Furthermore, thanks to great efforts and with the help of numerous donors, donors and friends of the Foundation, the Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry has been expanded from 150 to more than 65,000 donors. According to the 2014 report from the World Registry, this makes Croatia the 11th country in the world in terms of the number of potential donors per 10,000 inhabitants and the 8th in the world in terms of the number of donated umbilical cord blood per 10,000 inhabitants.
From the beginning of 2020 until today, the Ana Rukavina Foundation has donated funds for equipment and projects to the Croatian healthcare system in the amount of HRK 592,270.94:
– Clinics for infectious diseases “Dr. Fran Mihaljević ”valuable mobile ultrasound worth HRK 331,650 and at the beginning of the pandemic COVID-19 respirator worth HRK 187,500.
– Clinical Institute for Transfusion Medicine of University Hospital Centre Osijek, which since 2013 has been collecting samples of potential donors for the Croatian Registry, a medical refrigerator for storing the collected samples until their delivery to the Tissue Typing Department of University Hospital Centre Zagreb in the amount of HRK 38,120.94.
– Croatian Medical Association, ie the Croatian Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy HRK 35,000 for a project dealing with psychosocial aspects of children with hemato-oncological diseases.
As a pledge for the future, the Foundation has provided professional training to young doctors, and so far seven doctors from the Republic of Croatia have had the opportunity to train at the world’s best clinics in hematology and pediatrics to help patients in their homeland upon return.