Dear Andy..

dear andy,

i didn't realise that you were brother of lisa....i thought that perhaps you had formed a strong bond through this site.  i only realised after reading more of the postings.  i think you are awesome to have continued with this though it could have been an end to a chapter in your life.  you have dedicated years of  your life into thalasseamia care...lisa would have been so proud. its fantastic what you do and your love for your sister is so obvious.
i would like to thank you sooo much as you are an inspiration.
thank you for caring and sharing.

dear andy,

i'm still reading through postings....i might have got something wrong...but honestly think you doing great stuff along with loads of members at this site.
lisa looks like a beautiful person and would have been proud to call you her brother....i think this forum has formed such strong bonds between so many people worldwide...its truly incredible.
   

Hi Emby,

Lisa and I were best friends and we called each other brother and sister and really did feel that way for each other. Before she passed away, the group we had on MSN was starting to take off and Lisa was so happy when I came to visit her in the hospital and told her we reached 200 members. She would be so happy to see how many members we now have.

hiya andy,

its just one step from someone that makes a world of difference for others.
there is so much to read up on here....some of it....i need a medical encyclopedia !!
may God bless people like yourself.
how about yourself...are you thalasseamic in any way ? what inspired you to reach out to the thalaseamic community ? sorry i'm being nosey.  i have accepted thalasseamia as a normal part of my life and i have lived with it as a reality for 17 years almost now....but i haven't learnt half as much about it as yourself and the others here...its here with me...thalasseamia...but i don't ''know'' it.
you are doing a wonderful thing.

Hi Emby,

I am not thalassemic. Before I knew Lisa, I knew only one thal minor, who worked for me. His recent story has been in posts as he had a bone marrow transplant for lymphoma in October. I got involved with thal because of Lisa. I wanted to learn as much as I could and when she saw how interested I was, she invited me to join her MSN group and to participate in group chats. I quickly saw that there was a need for someone to answer questions, so I learned as much as I could about thalassemia, so people wouldn't leave without getting help. Soon, Lisa made me assistant manager and when her health worsened, she counted on me to carry on her dream, which was to provide a friendly place for people to gather and share. Getting to know patients and families has really helped me to keep my focus, especially since there are no thal majors in my personal life. Now I have met so many group members in person that I have many friends who are thals so it does help keep me involved. I was really tickled at the Singapore conference when we had the very first ever, in-person meeting of the thalpals at Puja's home.

There is also one other factor that really has meant a lot to me. Someone had to do this.

hi andy,

God chooses the right man for the right job....perhaps my family will meet you someday at one of these conferences.
to run somrthing like this needs 100% commitment....i say well done to all of you who has made it successful.

You are so right Emby and we couldn't have done anything without Andy, he is the real inspiration for all of us

manal

You are so right Emby and we couldn't have done anything without Andy, he is the real inspiration for all of us

manal

Totally agree,i was totally lost before i joined this forum,confused with superstitions and old and out of date medical info.After joining this forum,i began to see my daughter's life in a totally new perspective,and all credit goes to Andy ofcourse  .

Zaini.

 

I have had the same experience.  I would have been lost were it not for this site and Andy's willingness to constantly help and advise us in our times of need and confusion.

Sharmin

i think you have all made significant contribution.......as a new member i hope i can approach you all for help.....and maybe i might be able to help someone here with what little experience/knowledge i have...which is zilch compared to yours!!!!

i feel andy is unique cos he doesn't have thal and yet still makes an effort.....we as parents or carriers SHOULD make the effort...by my experience there are alot of people in denial once this condition has been diagnosed....they don't help themselves or their children...so sad...he could be out there doing something else but he chooses to help us.   

I cannot imagine how it is for a non-thal to devote a huge part of his life in a situation like this.
 Of course Lisa played a big role on this but still, after so many years, one could have dropped the subject. I do not know if I, myself, would participate in something like this in case I wasn't a thal.
I mean we have to face it, it's us, but for a non-thal?
Congratulations are in order for Andy, that's for sure. If someone has earned Heaven, that's Andy.

Lena. 

yes lena i agree!!

  , Yeah i Agree with all that mentioned above about Andy, in this thread  ... He's so caring and a good person who devoted a big part of his time to this noble cause ... i m impressed to the Lisa , who were good at selecting person for her cuase  ... hats off for you too Lisa , you wasn't  blessed only with good kind heart but with a good selection ability too ... i m really impressed to both of you Andy and Lisa .. Andy , you're doing this very well ,  i m feeling lucky to know you buddy ... Take good care of your self bcoze we ( we al thals ) need and want to see you always in good health , you're sumthing like our moral buddy ...  soo , take good care your self too ..

sending you lots of Best Regards, buddy :
Take Care
Umair