Once a month, since early childhood, Laurice Levine jumps up onto a gurney and is hooked up for a blood transfusion: she is a victim of thalassemia or what is popularly known as Cooley’s Anemia. Thalassemia is the name of a group of genetic blood disorders that kills many children before they reach adulthood.

On Tuesday, April 23 Laurice Levine will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Italian Catholic Federation at St. Bede the Venerable Church in La Cañada Flintridge. The ICF organization is one of the primary supporters in fundraising efforts for research for a cure for this deadly disease that affects the lives of children all over the world, especially the children of Mediterranean ancestry. The meeting will be held in the Parish Center at 215 Foothill Blvd. at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend to hear how she survives Cooley’s Anemia and how it affects her daily life.

Levine is an independent medical consultant. Her primary clients are Bluebird Biotech in Boston and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) where she collaborates with Dr. Tom Coates, a renowned thalassemia specialist, and his team. Levine’s primary role is to be the ICF liaison and oversee all projects related to the ICF’s national charity, Cooley’s Anemia/Thalassemia.

Levine has been married for almost 14 years and has a 3-year-old son.

Members of the public are invited to attend and can contribute an entrée to the potluck dinner if they elect to do so. There is no admission charge.