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12
I
t never occurred to Danny Kiblaoui that his simple letter
would solicit so much needed funds.
But not even a day had elapsed than an avalanche of
emails began to arrive. Some gave him much moral support and
others pledged money for his run in the Beirut marathon last
November. Danny and his IB1 class were running for the Brave
Heart Fund, an NGO dedicated to covering the medical costs
of children born with congenital heart disease (CHD). But first
they had to get financial pledges for their run. Danny got hold
of his father’s agenda and sent off emails to all the family’s ac-
quaintances.
“Some of the letters that came back really touched me,” he said.
And it was with great pride that Danny presented the school
with just over $3,000 after he finished his run. Other IB1 stu-
dents submitted their own earnings: almost $10,000 – exceeding
any amount that IC students had ever raised before.
The students had just saved the lives of two children.
Children with CHD are born with a defect in the heart’s struc-
ture. These defects could be in the interior walls of the heart, the
valves inside the heart, or the arteries and veins that carry blood
to and from the heart.
One in every 100 births is affected with CHD. If left untreated,
the child will die. It’s the leading killer in the first year of life.
But once treated, the child will grow to lead a normal, active
and productive life.
The Brave Heart Fund’s story began with the birth of two Leb-
anese children with CHD. The families were able to afford their
operations but it set them thinking about other children whose
families cannot pay for medical care.
In November 2003, one of the families ran Beirut’s first mara-
thon and raised some money for AUB’s Children’s Heart Center.
It was then that it occurred to them to establish a fund to serve
all needy children.
The families approached the university. Would AUB be willing
to help them establish a fund?
The university quickly adopted the “Brave Heart Fund”.
“The support that Brave Heart got is enormous,” said Joumana
Atallah, who together with Riham Serhan, founded the Fund.
“The entire community pitched in to help out.”
Volunteers fundraise continuously. Events have been held in
Beirut, NY, London and Jeddah.
“What used to happen is that people would go around knock-
ing on doors asking for help for the child, thus delaying treat-
ment and jeopardizing its success, ” said Walid Katergi, Asso-
ciate Director of Development at AUB and whose department
helps with the processing of the donations. “Now we do the
knocking for them.”
Every dollar raised is used to cover the medical expenses of
children with heart disease. Surgeries can cost anywhere from
$3,000 to $15,000.
More than 400 Lebanese and non-Lebanese patients have so
far been treated, the youngest being just one day old.
Three years ago, Katergi contacted IC to see if students would
be willing to run the marathon for the Brave Heart Fund.
Riad Chirazi, the head of activities and community service at
IC, immediately agreed. Since then, it has been a tradition for IC
students to run for the Brave Heart Fund.
“It takes a lot of courage and confidence to ask for money,”
said Chirazi. “It could also be humiliating if rejected. But these
students took on the responsibility knowing that it’s for a heart
operation to save a child. They cared enough.”
For more information/donations:
www.braveheartfund.org
or call
01-366445.
Running for
a cause: The
Brave Heart
Fund
IC Reaches Out