Cancer has failed to diminish the sunny outlook on life of Jordanian survivor Hana Abu Lughod.
The radio presenter found out she had breast cancer in May at just 32, less than two years after losing her dad to lung cancer.
Living through her father’s illness gave Hana a unique perspective on how many people treated cancer patients, and she has been documenting her struggles through a blog.
The biggest challenge, she said, was not living with the uncertainty of cancer itself – but the financial impact it had on her life and the new way she was treated by friends.
Hana’s positive outlook has helped carry her through a double mastectomy in her home country, where she was forced to go after losing her job, visa and health insurance.
Her care has cost more than Dh250,000 to date, and without the support of local charities, she would have been in a dire position.
“I’m trying to get back to life, but the problem with this journey was not the cancer, but the people around me,” she said.
“There was no support, everyone was asking when I was going back to Jordan, but I wanted to stay in the UAE where my life is now.
“People kept asking why I was still here? It was like they expected me to go home to die.”
Hana had eight cycles of chemotherapy, and four immunotherapy treatments before she lost her job and her health insurance ended.
Charitable donations from Friends of Cancer Patients and Al Jalila Foundation covered the cost of her treatment but she was forced to return home to Jordan for surgery and a breast reconstruction paid for under the government’s healthcare plan.
Once recovered, she tried to return to Dubai to sort out her flat and look for work but found further financial hardship.
“My end of service payment was delayed, and I had asked for an extension to my visa, but my employer wouldn’t help as I needed to return to Dubai to look for a new job,” she said.
“It was only when my boss personally got involved that the HR department finally resolved the issue. This situation is not uncommon but it is inhumane.
“Employers should not be able to fire a cancer patient. You can’t leave someone like this, without health insurance.
“The system here does not support people who fall seriously ill who then lose their jobs.”
Now back in Dubai, Hana is determined to put her skills and experience to use back in the media industry – but is finding it difficult.
Doctors have given her the all-clear but she must have regular check-ups for the foreseeable future.
“People should understand not everyone with cancer is dying; you can carry on working and you still need your friends around you,” she said.
“Isolating the patient is not helpful. Since having breast cancer, I have met many other women like me, also forced out of their jobs.
“Some are cabin crew and have bills to pay. We need to have the financial support, as treatment here is very expensive.”
To read Hana's blog, visit www.hanafighter.com.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
