The family of an Egyptian toddler diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy are celebrating the success of a campaign that raised 40 million pounds ($2.13 million) in less than a week to pay for a single-dose treatment to save her life.
Roqaya’s family were told by doctors that their daughter needed to receive a dose of Zolgensma, the world’s most expensive prescription drug, developed by pharmaceutical giant Novartis, before her second birthday on July 13.
Roqaya began to show symptoms of SMA when she was 6 months old, when she began to find it difficult to move or crawl.
The disease is caused by the absence or mutation of a gene called SMN1, which weakens the muscles of those suffering from it to varying degrees and at different speeds, according to the type of SMA they have.
Roqaya was diagnosed with the most severe of four types of spinal muscular atrophy that accounts for about 60 per cent of cases. Patients with this type develop symptoms within the first six months of life and typically die before their second birthday.
Her parents said it took doctors a long time to properly diagnose their daughter’s illness. They were told earlier this year that she would need to receive a dose of Zolgensma, which received FDA approval in 2019 and needs to be administered before a child’s second birthday to have optimal results.
Upon learning the high cost of the drug, Roqaya’s family and their friends and neighbours began to share her story on social media and appeal for donations.
Her story has been one of the most followed on Egyptian social media channels in recent weeks, with many celebrities, businessmen and athletes asking their fans to donate.
Thousands of people answered the call, with 10 million pounds raised in the first three days of the campaign and 40 million in just one week.
A group of students from Cairo University cancelled their graduation party and donated the funds to Roqaya’s cause, local media reported.
The fund was managed by the Social Solidarity Ministry, which also opened a dedicated donations channel that allowed people to contribute when paying for their purchases at supermarkets and other stores.
Roqaya's family held a celebration in their home town of Alexandria on Friday as the donations reached 40 million pounds.
Her parents thanked all those who donated and helped raise awareness of Roqaya's plight, including the actors Mohamed Heneidy and Ahmed El Awady.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates