24th May 2021
This is a difficult year for many of us, but particularly for organisations which rely on fundraising to maintain their work. In this context we make this special plea to you to participate in our annual raffle in aid of the Children’s Health Foundation (formerly Children’s Medical and Research Foundation). The foundation supports the great work in Temple Street, Crumlin, Tallaght and Connolly hospitals.
We ask all our members to please support the INTO’s charity partner by purchasing a ticket for our annual members’ draw and be in with a chance of winning one of the following prizes;
- 1st Prize – €10,000
- 2nd Prize – €3,000
- 3rd & 4th Prizes – €1,500
- 5th & 6th Prizes – €1,000
- 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th Prizes – €500
Tickets cost €10 each and multiple tickets can be purchased. The closing date is Wednesday, 9 June, 2021 @ 5pm. Winners picked and announced on Thursday, 10 June 2021. Click here to enter the draw.
Please note this draw is limited to INTO members, however we have provided a ‘Donate Only’ facility below for members who wish to make contributions without purchasing a ticket and/or for school staff who are not INTO members. If you have any queries, please contact Georgina Glackin at gglackin@into.ie.
The proceeds from the 2021 draw will go towards a three-year research project into Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in children. Children with SCD are highly susceptible to painful crises such as anaemia and stroke. Unfortunately, there is currently a limited understanding of the molecular events that contribute to these vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) in SCD patients. In developing countries, half of children with SCD die before reaching five years of age and less than 10% actually survive to adulthood. Even in developed countries, SCD continues to be associated with significant paediatric morbidity. For more information on Sickle Cell Disease and this research project, please see below*.
Thank you for choosing to support sick children in Ireland and for ensuring every child gets the very best chance.
This draw is operated by INTO and adheres to General Data Protection Regulations, your personal data will not be shared with third parties and will be deleted following the draw closing date. Please support the Children’s Health Foundation and make a real difference to the lives of sick children and their families in Ireland.
*About Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and the Research Project
SCD is so-named because abnormal haemoglobin – the protein that transports oxygen in the blood – causes red blood cells to become rigid, sticky and shaped like sickles. These atypical cells have a shorter life span and get stuck in blood vessels, slowing or blocking blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body. Pain crises are a clinical hallmark of the condition and can be excruciating, often requiring emergency department attendance. Serious complications include stroke and other organ damage, but treatment advances have improved life expectancy. As children with SCD are vulnerable to infections, Covid-19 presents an additional concern.
While there are a number of effective approaches to treating the impact of SCD, such as transfusions, continued research is crucial to find novel approaches that can enhance care of children with SCD by understanding how it develops in patients at a molecular level.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of the anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory protein C (PC) pathway in controlling SCD pathophysiology. It will determine whether PC pathway function is impaired in individuals with SCD in steady state, acute crises and in response to hydroxyurea (used to reduce the frequency of painful crises in patients). Furthermore, its aim is to investigate whether activated PC (APC) can mitigate many of the molecular events that contribute to SCD VOC. Ultimately, this study will assess the potential utility of APC and APC variants tailored to exhibit maximal therapeutic benefit for adjunctive treatment of SCD-associated vasculopathy.