DHL provides pro bono service to help Little Ai Tran in Vietnam

In December of last year, DHL-VNPT Express responded to a request for donations by Dr. Mark Siefring of Stamford Skin Centre, on an expat forum. The donations were needed to transport skin samples from Ho Chi Minh City to the University of Pittsburgh to help Ai Tran, a three year old from Ca Mau. She is diagnosed with an extremely rare skin condition, strongly suspected as Cutis Laxa, which makes her appear very aged.  

Yasmin Aladad Khan, senior vice president, DHL Express Southeast Asia commented:
"This is an extremely worthwhile cause and is truly wonderful that the team in Vietnam has stepped forward to make a difference in Little Ai Tran’s life. This is a classic example of how we can give back to the communities that we operate in while tapping on our specific knowledge in the Life sciences industry to meet the logistics needs of such critical shipments. We wish Little Ai Tran all the best as she rises to the challenges before her."

“The story of Little Ai plucked the heartstrings of the entire team at DHL Express and we knew immediately that we have to help and change her life,” said Christopher Ong, general director, DHL-VNPT Express. “The transporting of the samples was a delicate matter. The samples had to be shipped with utmost care throughout. From pick-up to delivery, the movement of the specimens was given priority handling to ensure the integrity of the samples. Our team monitored the progress intently and also worked closely with the ground teams in the DHL network to ensure timely customs clearance on site. We are glad to have been part of this journey and what better way to give Little Ai Tran a brighter future then leveraging on what we do best,” added Christopher.

The amazing work to help little Ai Tran started at the Stamford Skin Centre, which closed its doors on January 14 to normal daily operations, to perform the biopsies needed for the research into the condition of Ai Tran and her family members.

“The cost of testing to definitively diagnose of such a rare skin condition, which range from $40,000 - $50,000, is a costly procedure that Ai Tran’s family will never be able to raise. We were fortunate enough to have the University of Pittsburgh, which researches Cutis Laxa genetics, agreed to perform the tests under its research programme. Although our team at Stamford Skin Centre can perform the actual procedures of collecting the essential samples, we needed a solution to send these tissue samples to the University of Pittsburgh in the shortest possible time. When the DHL team came forward and said they would be taking her case on gratis, it was the final link we had been waiting for. It also meant that other donations raised could be given to the family to help with Ai Tran’s continued care and treatment.” commented Dr. Mark Siefring, Stamford Skin Centre.