‘Our mission is to help children suffering cancer in Armenia’: PM’s spouse attends gala celebration in LA
11:51, 8 April, 2019
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Anna Hakobyan, spouse of Prime Minister of Armenia, chair of the Board of Trustees of the City of Smile Charitable Foundation, attended the 34th anniversary gala celebration of the Armenian American Medical Society on April 6, her Office told Armenpress.
Mrs. Hakobyan was accompanied by Armenia’s Ambassador to US Varuzhan Nersesyan, CEO of the City of Smile Foundation Ester Demirchyan, Armenian Consul General in Los Argeles Armen Bayburdian.
The whole proceeds during the gala celebration have been transferred to the City of Smile Charitable Foundation.
Over 800 people participated in the event, including Congressman Adam Schiff, world-renowned rock musician Serj Tankian, Mayor of Glendale Ara Najarian, former mayor of Glendale, City Council member Zareh Sinanian and others.
Anna Hakobyan was invited to the event as a keynote speaker. In her speech she thanked the organizers of the event, the Armenian American Medical Society, doctor Shant Shakherdemyan who made a lot of efforts during these months for the event to take place.
“This event has a very important mission – to help children suffering cancer in Armenia. Today we are uniting for one goal – to ensure healthy, peaceful and happy childhood for Armenian kids. 100 children in Armenia are diagnosed with cancer annually. We are here to assist these children. Together we can fight for the life of each child suffering cancer, and this is our duty not to allow their lives to stop due to absence of finance. You are more aware than me that today cancer is not the one as it was in the past. It is no longer that terrible and incurable disease as it was years ago. The humanity and you – the doctors, have found the ways of overcoming cancer. Today we mainly can win in the fight against cancer, but there are still cases when we fail, and medicine and science have not yet found the magical key against cancer for everyone”, Anna Hakobyan said, adding that the main reason is that a lot of money is needed for the battle. According to her, today mostly in rich and developed countries, for example in US, cancer is just a disease, but in less developed countries cancer and death are synonyms.
“After the Velvet revolution that took place in Armenia last year I am confident that our country will soon be included in the list of the world’s developed countries. But today, our children who suffer cancer now cannot wait for this development, our kids wait for treatment and they need our support. The City of Smile Foundation has been created to change lives, to take these lives to positive direction and return smile to children and their parents. We are starting to keep one smile at the same time bringing smile to a family because as I have once said – by saving one’s life we save the world. Most of you have helped our homeland many times, I know this, and you have done it without any expectation, your only one concern was for your support to reach the right place”, she said.
In this regard the Armenian PM’s spouse assured that each money donated to the City of Smile Foundation will serve its goal – to treat a child suffering cancer, save the lives of these angels and return happiness to their families.
“The worst thing in the world is when you imagine the parents who are sitting next to their kids who are sick in bed and are unable to help them. Today several hundreds of people gathered here and this means how many people stand together with these children and their parents. Once again thank you for being here, I want to thank the team that made this event a reality, thank you for the cooperation and standing with Armenia”, Anna Hakobyan said.
The Armenian American Medical Society awarded certificates to Anna Hakobyan for the works conducted in the City of Smile Foundation and inspiring Armenian women all over the world.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
