Charity Golf Tournament AAH! 2008
Presentation of Donation
Dr Vukan Čupić Mother & Child Health Institute
of Serbia Receives New Flow Cytometer Laser
The Association of Authentic Hedonists organized its second Charity Golf Tournament AAH! 2008 at the Belgrade Golf Club in September 2008.
A large number of foreign and domestic companies responded to our call to take part in this campaign. This was an occasion for us to give our joint contribution to the worthiest cause - saving children’s lives.
A sum of € 10,000 was raised for the purchase of a laser to upgrade the existing cytometer at the Dr Vukan Čupić Mother and Child Health Institute of Serbia, a state-of-the art machine for laboratory diagnostics of leukemia in children, which is of great significance for the proper and timely choice of treatment.
Dr Dragutinu Tričkoviću and Dragan Đorđević
on occasion of the donation presentation
In early October 2008, AAH! President Dragan Djordjević officially presented the donation to Dr Dragutin Tričković, Director of the Dr Vukan Čupić Mother and Child Health Institute.
When Dr Tričković told us about the numerous problems his institution faced and how much aid meant to them, our conviction that we had made the right choice of this year’s tournament donation recipient became even firmer.
We were pleased by the fact that representatives of the City Secretariat for Health attended the presentation. The support of local authorities helps promote activities of this kind and increase awareness of the significance of corporate social responsibility.
The laser was shipped from the USA in record time and installed in late November.
Dr. Bojana Slavković shows the new laser to Draganu Đorđeviću
This was an occasion for us to visit the Institute once again.The smiling faces of the gathered doctors spoke far more than words.
Expressing his gratitude for the donation, Dr Dragan Mićić, President of the National Group for Acute Leukemia of Childhood, emphasized that the upgrade of the existing cytometer with the new laser was of utmost importance in maintaining the Serbian National Group’s membership in the International BFM Group (the world’s leading study group on childhood leukemia diagnosis and treatment) and in the Intercontinental Protocol for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia of Childhood (the ALLIC International Protocol), as Serbian doctors can only keep step with their foreign colleagues in achieving and maintaining given standards and in obtaining the best possible results in diagnosing and treating leukemia, if they have the proper equipment.
Dr. Slavković is in charge of cytometric analyses
“The purchase of this laser is not important for the Institute alone, but for Serbia as a whole. We are currently the only ones with upgraded equipment of this kind, so that the cytometer will be beneficial for all ailing children in Serbia,” underlined Dr Mićić.
Headed by Dr Mićić, the Institute doctors engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of children suffering from leukemia are members of the National Group for Acute Leukemia of Childhoodoperating within the framework of the Intersectional Board for Child Hematology and Oncology of the Serbian Medical Society. The Group was formed in order to provide all ailing children in Serbia, Montenegro and the Republic of Srpska with the same high-quality diagnosis and treatment. The Group is made up of physicians and biologists from the hematology departments and laboratories of the Dr Vukan Čupić Mother and Child Health Institute, Belgrade (which diagnoses 70% and treats 50% of all cases of childhood leukemia), the University Children’s Hospital, Belgrade (diagnosing and treating approximately 30% of all cases), as well as of the Children’s and Youth Public Health Institute of Vojvodina from Novi Sad, the Children’s Hospital from Niš and the Children’s Hospital from Banja Luka where the remaining 20% of the children are treated.
National Group for Acute Leukemia of Childhood
Through this cooperation the upgraded cytometer will be used for all children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the country.
Acute leukemia is the most frequent malignant disease in children. In Serbia, 60 to 70 children contract leukemia each year.
It is important to know that the cure rate for children now amounts to as much as 80%. That is why the continual promotion of diagnostics is extremely important.
We take this opportunity to thank all donors and AAH! friends once again for their undivided aid in this campaign.
See you in 2009!
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