LAHORE, Aug 9: Pakistani cricketer Yousaf Youhana has vowed to support the cause of thalassaemic children by creating awareness and generating funds. He also assured that he would talk to team captain Inzimamul Haq to organize a charity match between the national cricket team and former cricketers’ to raise funds for thalassaemic children in the country.

Mr Youhana was talking to reporters here on Tuesday at a function organized to honour the ‘thalassaemic heroes,’ who walked up to the first base camp of Nanga Parbat later last month. The function was organized by the Thalassaemia Society of Pakistan (TSP) in collaboration with Suzan Sheikh (an internee from LUMS) and Dr Waseem Hayder.

Mr Youhana said he would ensure that he and his team members would soon visit the Thalassaemic Day Care Centre in Ganga Ram Hospital.

These ‘thalassaemic heroes’ — Muhammad Junaid, Rehman Sheikh, Munir, Abeera and Batool — had walked up to the first base camp of Nanga Parbat.

A thalassaemic child’s father, Yaqoob Babar, led the trekkers’ team while volunteers, Muhammad Nabi Malik and Sabih Nadeem, participated in the walk as an effort to create awareness about the disease amongst the masses.

TSP secretary-general Prof Yasmin Rashid said there were more than 800 children at the Thalassaemic Day Care Centre, Lahore, who needed blood transfusions twice a month and Desferal injections five times a week. “One child needs approximately 40 Desferal injections a month,” she said.

At the Lahore centre, she said, thalassaemic children were getting treatment, education, vocational training and food totally free-of-cost. She said Yousaf Youhana’s visit had boosted the morale of the children.

She said the TSP was also running centres in Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi and Quetta.