UPDATE 1-11-2021: WE DID IT!!!!!! WE REACHED OUR GOAL!!!! On behalf of the doctors, myself, and our homeland, I thank each and every individual who donated or shared our campaign to help us reach $61,293, which, thanks to a generous donor who has matched our fundraising efforts, will be doubled for a total of $122,586. Today we received a check for $10,000 from AAMA (Armenian American Medical Association) of Boston and another $5000 from a couple in Boston. With our previous two $5000 donations, we hit our mark and exceeded it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Serov,
Mary Minassians
UPDATE 12-23-2020: We have raised $43,393 so far with two $5000 checks on top of $33,393. I want to thank each and every
one of you who has donated from the bottom of my heart. As we wind down our campaign I would like
to ask for
one more push to reach $60,000 which will be matched for our now
existing goal of $120,000total (includes shipping) for very specific items that are desperately needed in Armenia.
• High flow machines
• High flow nasal cannulas
• CPAP masks of different sizes
• Venti masks
• Nonrebreather masks
From Dr. Ara Nazarian, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School.
The hospitals don’t have high enough flow and volume of oxygen, due to low supplies. So, they cannot use the O2 helmets
well because there isn’t enough O2 flow for them to work well. This is due to lack of O2 production in the country, which we
are working on fixing now and leaks in the pipes and valves in hospitals, which engineers are working to fix these.
The items above will allow us to deliver high O2 flow to each patient for them to make it through the challenging phase
of the disease and live. Item 1 is a machine that is used per patient. If we order 35 of them to furnish 1 unit of the NORK
hospital (35 patient beds), that will be $52,500. Items 2 and 3 can be ordered at 250 each, which will cost $20k and $18.75K respectively.
These will be good for 500 patients. To put this in perspective, we are getting almost 1000 positive cases a day in Armenia, which
of course not all of them require hospitalization (approximately 20% do). So, we have roughly 200 patients a day hospitalized, from
which a portion will need high O2 therapy to stay alive. Items 4 and 5 are highly used consumables, and if we get 1000 of each,
we’ll need $15K and 5K respectively.
TOTAL COST 120K includes S/H
11-17-2020
We are making an urgent appeal for your generous tax-deductible donation to raise $280,000 to purchase critical medical equipment for the Nork Hospital in Armenia, a hospital dedicated to the care of COVID-19 patients. Now, more than ever, we need to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Armenia by providing them with much-needed medical support. Nork hospital is currently over capacity with resources stretched dangerously thin, forcing them to turn away patients. For every dollar we raise we have two incredibly generous benefactors that are going to match those donations up to $280,000.
My name is Mary Minassians and I am a resident of Los Angeles, California. Even though I was not born in Armenia, I inherited the “bug”, as I call it, to support my fellow Armenians at our homeland. I visited Armenia for the very first time in 1994 following the cease-fire of Nagorno-Karabakh to assist my husband to shoot a documentary called Beyond Commitment. Since then, I have visited Armenia on many occasions, both as a tourist and several times as a volunteer with my daughter to serve at Our Lady of Armenia Summer Camp.
I’ve been working closely with dedicated Armenian doctors from around the United States including Dr. Gevorg Yaghjyan, Dr. Andre Aboolian, Dr. Ara Nazarian, Dr. Vatche Minassian, Dr. Shant Parseghian and Dr. Nareg Gharibjanians to procure much-needed medical supplies, equipment and medications to address Armenia’s crisis. This compassionate and committed group of doctors has not only given their time and expertise but also donated funds to expeditiously procure and ship these supplies.
For the collection of these donations, we have a fiscal partnership with Focus on Children Now (FCN), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing basic necessities to disadvantaged children and their families. This organization is very near and dear to our hearts since my daughter has fundraised for the orphanage every year for the past few years through FCN and has made many small dreams of the orphanage a reality.
Our goal of $280,000 is to cover the cost of procuring and shipping 250 Hyperbaric Helmets and other necessary equipment noted below. Your support will save thousands of lives during this unprecedented crisis. Please partner with us and let us be a part of the solution to end this problem. Thank you and may God bless you for your generous donation! Additional equipment needed:
1- Oxygen concentration helmets with all accessories (neck seals, valve/filter combos and HEPA filters) - this system will allow oxygen saturation for patients having difficulties due to cytokine storm, who might lose their battle with the disease otherwise
2- Tubing to connect all patients to oxygen source
3- Bagged (non-rebreather) O2 masks
4- High-flow nasal cannula attachments (piping and nasal pieces)
5- Endotracheal tube fixators - currently tubes are tied to the head with gauze (the way we do in the US immediately upon emergent intubation or during field intubation prior to hospitalization)
6- At least 1 full video-assisted laryngoscope
Want to make a bigger impact? Please share this fundraiser with your family and friends. Every dollar counts and goes towards the cause. #UrgentappealforArmeniaCovidCrisis
Focusonchildrennow.org Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Focus on Children Now, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.
More information about Focus on Children Now: Focus on Children Now is dedicated to helping impoverished children access the basic necessities of life through humanitarian, education, nutrition and health programs.
