MAHAK Charity Day 2013

MAHAK specialty hospital which has been operational since 15th of June 2007 is one of the largest centers of its kind in the Middle East and provides a complete array of treatment and support services (e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, bone marrow transplant, play therapy, etc.) to its patients and their families.  Since then, this day has been coined as ‘MAHAK Charity Day’.

On June 21st, MAHAK held a ceremony celebrating ‘MAHAK Charity Day’, the inauguration date of its specialized pediatric cancer hospital and the passing away anniversary of late Ms. Afsaneh Dabiri whose will and determination resulted in the construction of the largest hospital of its type in the region.  This event aims to raise funds in support of children with cancer.  With the tremendous support of more than 500 benevolent contributors present, this year MAHAK astonishingly managed to raise approximately Rls 6.375.000.000 to cover the medication and treatment expenditures of 253 out of several thousand children under its coverage for one year.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr. Javad Karbassi-Zadeh, Chairman of MAHAK Board of Directors, delivered a speech in memory of Ms. Afsaneh Dabiri, who insisted on establishing a specialized cancer hospital for children with cancer.  After hearing the phases of the hospital construction from the mouth of its founder and preeminent donor who continued with reciting a poem by Sa’adi, a minute of silence was requested in the honor of the late Professor Parvaneh Vossough.

Then, Dr. Naser Ghofli, who sponsored the event, expressed his satisfaction for hosting such an important event, and provided a tribute to Ms. Afsaneh Dabiri stating: “a spirit like hers never dies and today it is shared by all of you who have contributed to turning MAHAK into what it is today.”  He also paid tribute to the late Prof. Parvaneh Vossough.  He concluded by thanking the Almighty for enabling him and the rest of us to help, each in our own way, a great institution like MAHAK.

The atmosphere benefitted by the presence of Mr. Saeed Nasiri, one of MAHAK’s children who is one of our pride and joys; a star in the sky of MAHAK.  As such, he is a role model for combating cancer a major ingredient of which is to never lose hope. He is now 27 years old and although he began the sport from the age of 15, he has been a member of the national weight lifting team of Iran for only two years.

Mr. Arasb Ahmadian, Managing Director of MAHAK, presented a comprehensive report of MAHAK’s performance in the last year and raised the aspiration that one day ‘MAHAK Charity Day’ will be registered in national and international calendars.

After explaining the future goals and presenting the data related to the performance of the institution and the number of children under support, Mr. Ahmadian cited medication as the most critical requirement for children with cancer now under peril. Based on his report, the cost of medication which had increased by 37% during 2011-2012 went up 68% in 2012-2013.

Then the fund raising section began with the master of ceremonies encouraging attendees to sponsor treatment packages by raising their hands as a sign of financial commitment.  He led the crowd by directing them to untie the symbolic knots present on packages handed to them.  The last knot inspired all to participate in the fundraising exercise.  This turned into such an engaging atmosphere that even under aged children accompanying their parents participated by raising their hands for monthly or annual support.

Mr. Mohammad Sarir, Iranian musical master, who always performs voluntarily in MAHAK’s events, invited Sadra Pishdadi, a twelve year old ‘virtuoso’ to perform a piece from Parviz Meshkatian on Santoor.

After that, Mr. Sarir performed several pieces on the concept of love and humanism accompanied by the mesmerizing voice of Mohammad Reza Sadeghi. MAHAK is proud that these pieces were performed on MAHAK Charity Day for the first time ever.

The last speech was delivered by Dr. Mardawig Alebouyeh, a prominent oncologist and member of MAHAK board of trustees, in commemoration of prof. Vossough, followed by a dedication of a painting drawn by children under treatment in MAHAK to Dr. Ghofli as a symbol of gratitude.

Assets accumulate over time. Continuous support and trust of thousands of benefactors is MAHAK’s most invaluable asset which has grown in time.  We at MAHAK are truly appreciative and hope to increasingly benefit from these types of generosities enabling us to provide more and better services to children with cancer and their families for many years to come.