Rotary Club overwhelmed by calls to help child

Shannen’s family needs to raise more than $700,000 to fund a critical medical procedure that could save her life.

Shannen suffers from thalassemia major, a blood related disorder which requires a monthly blood transfusion.

The family has since mortgaged their home as part of fund-raising activities.

The Rotary Club has stepped in to assist the parents in raising $250,000.

Speaking to Newsday yesterday, President of the Rotary Club of Chaguanas Michael Ibrahim said the response to the article has been significant and it shows there is more good than evil in the country.

“People from all over contacted us wanting to help Shannen and that is significant. This shows that there are so many good people among us that I cannot understand at all the level of crime in the country now and the level of hurt that our people have to be faced with. The kind of goodness I have seen really has to be protected.

We have more good than evil prevailing and something has to be done to separate the evil so we can preserve the goodness of soceity,” he said.

He said the Rotary Club will continue to look after children in society and to protect them as much as they can.

According to the Thalassemia Foundation of Canada’s website children born with thalassemia major usually develop symptoms of severe anaemia within the first year of life.