Who are we?
Kawasaki Disease UK is an award winning registered charity and a leading childhood aid-organization in raising awareness and providing sustenance to families affected by Kawasaki Disease across the United Kingdom.
Our mission is to save lives by promoting awareness of the classic symptoms and establish diagnosis within 4 days of the onset of the condition.
Kawasaki Disease mostly strikes children under the age of 5, initially manifesting itself with three or more symptoms and in many cases, this disease could cause serious damage to the heart (usually in the form of aneurysms caused by inflammation of the coronary arteries of the heart).
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Kawasaki Disease is now known to be the leading cause of coronary heart disease in children that affects adult life. It is also suspected to be the primary source of death by unexplained heart failure in children and young adults. Such cases are on the increase and are believed to be partly hereditary which poses a 10% chance of being passed onto offspring.
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Our work helps to sustain the awareness of a little known, complex heart disease and to prevent complications in adult life. We also aim to gain sponsors and build resources for research in the near future. Many children are still being misdiagnosed and suffer due to lack of medical knowledge.
Our Sponsors
Dee Izmail
Dee Izmail is the founder and chair-woman of Kawasaki Disease UK. Her fight against Kawasaki Disease started in 1993, when her then seven month old daughter first started showing symptoms of the disease but was constantly misdiagnosed by doctors. Luckily a South African nurse who was working at the hospital and who had seen Kawasaki Disease before in South Africa, argued that the symptoms were classic signs of Kawasaki Disease and that treatment should be started immediately. The treatment worked but the lack of knowledge of Kawasaki Disease, even from fully qualified doctors, stuck with Dee and since then she has been working hard to spread awareness of Kawasaki Disease so that the symptoms can be spotted and treated as quickly as possible.
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Outside of Kawasaki Disease UK, Dee Izmail is a Ready to
Wear and Couture designer with a diverse sense of style for
an independent and alluring woman. Dee is not only a
fashion designer but a true craftswoman who has worked
with chainmail, broken mirrors, fine wiring embellishment,
Latex and hand-painted clothing.
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She has showcased her pieces in many presentations across
the globe and fashion magazines throughout the 80s-90s.
Her Covent Garden Flagship store attracted Virgin Records to
select many items of clothing and Footwear for the Spice Girls
in 1997 and also created various bespoke pieces providing a
total of over 80 pieces throughout the girl power rein that
made Dee an Iconic club wear of the 90s designer. In addition,
Dee is respected for her multiple celebrity works during this
era such as commissions for Beyoncé, Cher, Shania Twaine,
Eddy Izzard, & Warner Bros. for the millennium dress worn by
Isla Fisher. Her work led to her outstanding achievement of
Royal Interview with Prince Andrew.
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Dee and her daughter Nadia today. Dee still continues her fight to understand the long term damage to adults after Kawasaki Disease.
Learn more in our research Report.
THE DARKSIDE COLLECTION
Raising awareness for Kawasaki disease - signifying the trauma that impacts children and adults if not diagnosed promptly.
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