José Carreras receives the “Save the Children” Award for his humanitarian work against cancer.

With the Save the Children Awards, the charity intends to give thanks to the good work being achieved to help children all around the world. Save the Children especially recognizes the efforts of esteemed personalities who are dedicated to the search for a better world, in which all boys and girls will have hope and equality of opportunity.

Yesterday saw the 15th celebration of the Save the Children Awards in Madrid. The people honoured at the event were; Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Peace prize winner; Mira Sorvino, an actress and UN ambassador against human trafficking; Danielle Mitterran, president of the France-Libertés Foundation (who could not be present to receive her award), Sebastiao Salgado, President of the Terra Institute; and José Carreras, President of the José Carreras Foundation against Leukaemia.

During his speech José Carreras said, “I want to share this award with the unknown protagonists in the fight against leukaemia: with the scientists, the doctors, and the health workers, who make improvements in diagnosis and treatment procedures possible with their vocation and daily commitment, and who continually improve the lives of patients; with all the voluntary bone marrow donors that altruistically give another human being the opportunity to continue living; and of course with the patients and their families, because they face the disease head on and they give meaning to the collective fight to eradicate this disease and the suffering”.