Some rare diseases such as immunodeficiency, rheumatoid arthritis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, inherited metabolic disorders and chromosomal disorders etc, which may seem so unfamiliar to us are torturing many young children. These diseases may hamper their normal growth and lifestyle, and may even lead to death. Needless to say, their parents also suffer with great pain and anguish.

Even though the children in Hong Kong have already been provided with comprehensive medical care, further improvement can still be made in various aspects such as hospital facilities and novel treatment. Medical

and nursing professionals can interact with and learn from their overseas counterparts in areas like medical treatment, development of new drugs and research.

With funding from the CCDF, the local doctors can learn the cutting-edge techniques from overseas experts or try out new drugs under development. Some young patients can be put on treatments which currently are not funded by the Hospital Authority. Also, new medical equipment or facilities can be imported to enhance the treatment result.

In order to fulfil all these, the Children's Catastrophic Disease Foundation was established in June 2002 by some parents and the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital.