After a four-month struggle with cancer, Ola Ghabbour, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the 57357 Children’s Cancer Hospital in Cairo and Secretary-General of its board of directors
After a four-month struggle with cancer, Ola Ghabbour, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the 57357 Children’s Cancer Hospital in Cairo and Secretary-General of its board of directors, passed away today in hospital in the US. Mrs Ghabbour was wife of business tycoon Raouf Ghabbour, and leaves behind three children Dina, Nader and Kamal, all of whom studied business administration and are working with their father in his enterprise, Ghabbour Group.
Ola Ghabbour was a pioneering philanthropist and an untiring advocate and friend of children. She was the primary catalyst behind the foundation of the now-famous Children##s Cancer Hospital 57357 in Cairo. The ‘57357’ is the number of the bank account through which donations were invited; the hospital became so linked to the figure that it was finally—and spontaneously—named after it. Mrs Ghabbour began fundraising among her family and friends despite ridicule for her seemingly impossible dream. In her campaign she encouraged even the poor to donate, and her dream finally began to materialise in 1999 with the start of construction of the building. Today, the hospital’s website carries the message: ”Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357 is the largest children’s cancer hospital in the world. CCHE is leading the way in healthcare in Egypt and is a model of what people can do when they work together for the benefit of mankind.”
Mrs. Ghabbour is also one of the founders of the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Friends of the National Cancer Institute (AFNCI). In 2008, Mrs. Ghabbour received the prestigious World Health Award
Last May, she was recognised by the Middle East and North Africa American Chamber of Commerce Seminar held in Tunisia, as the Best Woman within non-profit organisations, for her role in the foundation of the 57357 Hospital, as well as for her pioneering charity work.
Watani International
8 January 2013