How 27 Heartbeats was Born
Hi,
I'm Amina Youssef and back in 2015, I spent a lot of time in the hospital. I had torn my ACL, which required a number of surgeries and ended in the disappointing news that I would no longer be able to ski competitively.
During my time in the hospital, I noticed that a lot of things get thrown away. A lot. Things that had barely been used, or hadn't been opened at all. So, stuck in the hospital, I started researching. It turns out, we throw out a lot of medical waste. On average, over 30 pounds of waste per staffed hospital bed, actually. What the heck?
So I decided to do something about it. I wasn't sure what that would be yet, but over the next year, I figured out a way to start, and that's how 27 Heartbeats was born.
I'm Amina Youssef and back in 2015, I spent a lot of time in the hospital. I had torn my ACL, which required a number of surgeries and ended in the disappointing news that I would no longer be able to ski competitively.
During my time in the hospital, I noticed that a lot of things get thrown away. A lot. Things that had barely been used, or hadn't been opened at all. So, stuck in the hospital, I started researching. It turns out, we throw out a lot of medical waste. On average, over 30 pounds of waste per staffed hospital bed, actually. What the heck?
So I decided to do something about it. I wasn't sure what that would be yet, but over the next year, I figured out a way to start, and that's how 27 Heartbeats was born.
After talking to lots of people who couldn't help me, I found an organization that my brother had volunteered with when he was in high school. They said that any donated medical items I sent to them, they could bring to Thailand to use in a dog shelter. This picture is the first box of donations I collected and sent. It only took one request letter, but this amount of donated items was able to help in the surgeries and medical care of 27 dogs who otherwise may not have gotten care. That's where the name "27 Heartbeats" comes from. I just kept thinking that each of those dogs' lives may have ended, but was saved by what was otherwise going to be garbage.
Plus, it's more than that. Spaying a dog helps keep it healthy and safe. According to PETA, "one unspayed female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years. In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can produce an incredible 370,000 kittens!" So helping to treat those 27 dogs could have prevented the suffering of 1.8 million street dogs... all from a box of "trash".
Plus, it's more than that. Spaying a dog helps keep it healthy and safe. According to PETA, "one unspayed female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years. In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can produce an incredible 370,000 kittens!" So helping to treat those 27 dogs could have prevented the suffering of 1.8 million street dogs... all from a box of "trash".
I don't know everything about donating medical supplies abroad. But I know that it can be done! And I'll work with anyone who wants to help to help keep medical waste out of landfills and get it where it can save lives.