HAE JUNIOR
patient organization
celebrates its 5th anniversary

WISHES FROM YOU

To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we decided to share the wishes and words of
gratitude received from our beloved patients, their families, doctors, foreign partners and volunteers.
These wishes remind us why we do what we do and the profound impact our work can have
on the lives of pediatric HAE patients.
Starting on December 1, we are opening HERE a virtual advent calendar (in Czech
language only), where every day we will reveal wishes, memories and messages from those who are an integral part of the success of our organization.

tHAEnk you for your support!

Starting on December 1, we are opening HERE a virtual advent calendar (in Czech language only),
where every day we will reveal wishes, memories and messages from those
who are an integral part of the success of our organization.

ADVENT CALENDAR

FULL OF WISHES

What have we achieved in 5 years of activity?

Since the establishment of our organization, we have implemented multiple projects focused on supporting and educating HAE patient families.
Our most significant projects include workshops, inclusive scholarships, summer camps for
the patient community, as well as awareness raising exhibitions of HAE junior drawings.
Each of these projects contributes in a different way to improving the
quality of life of our patients and their families, raising disease awareness, sharing
 important information and creating a strong community.

Message from Camelia C. Isaic, chairwoman:

HAE Junior celebrates its 5th anniversary!

I would like to take this opportunity to express big tHAEnks to all members of our community and partners who help us improve the quality of life of children and youth with HAE. By working together, our juniors are every day getting stronger than HAE – a disease that limits them, yet does not break them.

Our educational activities, family camps and projects help develop creativity and key competences of HAE juniors. In addition, we also provide regular information services on living with HAE and conduct campaigns to raise HAE awareness among healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Above all, however, our activities help (not only) Czech HAE patients better cope with their difficult journey and lead a fulfilling life despite this incurable diagnosis. I look forward to the years ahead working together for a better future for HAE juniors & their families.

The partners of the campaign for the 5th anniversary of HAE Junior patient organization are:

In addition to own activities, our organization is actively involved in international initiatives aimed at raising awareness about rare diseases and supporting the rights of patients and their families. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with local and international partners.

Collaborating organizations/ platforms:

Educational camp under the auspices

of the First Lady of the Czech Republic, Eva Pavlová

The fifth year of the HAE Junior educational camp with the motto „Our super siblings“ took place under the auspices of the First Lady of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Eva Pavlová, from April 12 to 14, 2024 in Prague.

This year, program participants enjoyed traditional experiential and motivational activities – including the popular HAEro Games, as well as expert lectures and joint discussions on topics that significantly affect the lives of HAE patients in the Czech Republic.

HAE juniors joined the international challenge #active4HAE. We prepared sports, educational and creative activities for our juniors aimed at raising HAE awareness and at strengthening sibling relationships of children and youth with HAE. As part of the 5th year of the HAEro Games, all the steps and activities of the HAE juniors were recorded to serve as an education within the #active4HAE challenge, organized by HAE International from 04/01 to 05/31/2024. For their participation, the juniors received well-deserved award cups and diplomas.

The implementation of the project was supported by the following companies: Amberplasma, CSL Behring, KalVista, ČEZ Foundation, Pharming, Pharvaris, Swixx BioPharma, Association for Plasmapheresis, Takeda Czech Republic and other individual donors.

Art exhibition and virtual workshop

during the Czech Presidency of the EU Council

The topic of rare diseases was one of the priorities of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, and we therefore organized two events for wider awareness in October 2022:

– On October 5, 2022, we organized an online workshop with international expert participation entitled „Improving the quality of life of people with rare diseases“, which focused on the issue of the quality of life of patients with rare diseases and at the same time presented projects and best practices from the Czech Republic and abroad.

– During the same month we displayed our art exhibition Stronger than HAE on the premises of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic in Prague, as well as  at the European expert conference Towards a New European Policy Framework: Building the Future Together For Rare Diseases, organized by the Ministry of Health in Prague, on October 25 and 26, 2022.

First aid

THERMOSETS

During the first half of 2021, a successful campaign took place with the support of the ČEZ Foundation and under the EPP program: Pomáhej Pohybem (Help By Moving), which aimed to secure funding for first aid kits for the HAE Junior patient community. The thermosets contained high-quality thermal packs with the necessary equipment for transportation and application of injection treatment in emergency situations, such as HAE attacks. The project quickly gained the necessary number of points, as well as considerable public attention, helping to raise awareness of the rare disease HAE.

Inclusive scholarships

„Skills for the future"

In 2021, we completed the Inclusive Scholarship project: Skills for the future, which began in June 2020 with the support of the AVAST Foundation. The project output was a total of 15 scholarships for pediatric patients with HAE from all over the Czech Republic, which enabled their participation in language and IT courses and summer camps.

The project supported their competencies in education and building interpersonal relationships. Communication and sharing of experiences within the community of patient families were also strengthened.