September signals a new year beginning for me because school starts. It’s always an exciting new chapter in my life, full of surprises, experiences and, of course, learning curves. This year, I have my fourth nestling starting school and it’s a big change for me seeing all my children dealing with their own responsibilities now. As mothers, we see huge development in our children during the summer holidays, and those little human beings start to become more like little adults! Summer 2017 had many highlights for us but something that we will take away and continue to revisit is the new skills we honed. This year saw my children and I achieve our PADI open water and adventure dive qualifications, and our upcoming vacations will most definitely be planned around destinations where we can call upon our new underwater talents.
Looking to my work and all encompassing passion, starting from September, new goals are set in place for my foundation, Sunrise K’. The foundation’s mission is to raise awareness about Glaucoma, especially in children. We fund the research department of UCL Moorfields to develop superior surgery techniques, medication and eventually, to find a cure for this debilitating condition. Glaucoma is an eye disease that affects over 70 Million people (1 in 200 adults and 1 in 10,000 children), and studies show that in a few years these figures will increase to 120 million people. In the past, Dubai has been a very helpful platform for our projects; we have organised three great galas in collaboration with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Dubai Cares Foundation, as well as the Dubai Film Festival. We’ve been blessed that well known actors and singers have come to support our gala out of goodwill, and have lent us their voices in support of our cause. On a regional level, brands such as Ralph Lauren have also contributed by hosting events for children at their store in support of our foundation.
As things tend to take a lull here during summer it’s important that we keep the momentum going for the season ahead. As we step into September the pace must increase. At the moment our media partners, Leo Burnett, are looking to launch an international media campaign to raise awareness via virtual media channels, communicating our key message and goal: to help to make everyone realise the importance of eye checkups and early detection regardless of age, race and/or gender. [I am] looking forward to this new chapter in my life, [and] I’m ready to take all the opportunities that the [new] season will offer me.
SENTIMENTS OF THE SEASON
Book to read: Food, Love and Life – Dalia’s Kitchen
Local café to frequent: Arabian Tea House, Bur Dubai
Fine dining destination: My ideal evening meal is Bagatelle’s Escargots a l’ail and Salade Bagatelle- simply delicious
Back to work footwear: Anything by Walter Steiger- I love their unconventional take on stilettos
New season skin saviour: Argan oil for intense hydration and natural nourishment
