Dr Shirley Cefai, an academic within the Faculty for the Built Environment, has been part of the LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation committee for 7 years, of which the last two years have been as Chairperson. Dr Cefai has participated in the 2008 challenge from Lourdes to Casablanca. Unfortunately, she had suffered a bad fall on the 6th day and had to end the challenge. This year she will attempt, not only participate, but to finish the challenge in Zambia: 2000km in 10 days.
To do this, Dr Cefai is obliged to raise €3,000 and is therefore asking you to support her endeavour, but most of all renal patients.
LifeCycle is the only NGO that collects funds to help renal patients. Renal failure is not a condition which is solved by any medicine. For those who are not aware, renal failure implies:
- 3 times a week of dialysis lasting 4 hours every session (one can only imagine what the implications on one's full-time employment this has!);
- if one is lucky enough to find a match and have a kidney transplant, this implies the end of dialysis but heavy medication and a low immune system;
- Kidney transplant would last an absolute maximum of 20 years - after this it is back on to dialysis or another transplant. The chances of a second transplant is next to none as the match is near impossible to find due to the fact that the body is already dealing with an 'alien' organism in the body.
So make your mathematics - a 30 year old with kidney failure has a very hard life ahead of him/her with no real solution. Hence, LifeCycle also donates to research. Up to date we have donated €70,000 to RIDT within University of Malta and are currently carrying out a research project focused on kidney failure in children.
Please help us help renal patients.
You can sponsor Dr Cefai and support the great work done by the LifeCycle Foundation here.
Thank you for your contribution.
Learn more about the LifeCycle Challenge.