Save One Life was founded in 2001 by Laureen A. Kelley, author, president of LA Kelley Communications and mother of a son with hemophilia. In 1996 Laurie began visiting developing countries to train leaders to start national hemophilia foundations and to bring factor donations. Two incidents made her think it was possible to give direct financial aid to people with hemophilia in developing countries.
First, Lisa O’Connor, a mother of a child with hemophilia from New York, wrote to Laurie in 1999 and asked if it was possible to sponsor a child with hemophilia in another country. There existed no way to do that at the time. Second, later that year, Laurie visited Pakistan for the first time to do a leadership needs assessment. Visiting the two-room home of an impoverished family with hemophilia in Karachi, Laurie asked how she could help. The family had two sons with hemophilia, the eldest of which would be expected to support the entire family when the parents grew old, as is customary. The father requested $20 a month so that his eldest son, then only eight, could go to private school to learn English and get a good paying job. The idea for Save One Life was born at that moment!
A year later, Save One Life was incorporated. The name occurred to Laurie when she watched the movie "Schindler’s List," which cited the proverb “He who saves one life, saves the world,” found in the Talmud and the Koran. It’s the belief that we don’t have to focus on huge numbers and statistics, which may overwhelm us. Just focus on helping one person at a time.
