The José Carreras Foundation presents its new awareness campaign: “Help us to make sure people are where they should be”

As a part of the presentation of the José Carreras Foundation’s new awareness campaign “Help us to make sure people are where they should be”, the leukaemia patients at the Niño Jesus Children’s University Hospital in Madrid received some special visitors. José Carreras, the President of the Foundation that took his name, was joined in his visit to the hospital by the actors Mario Casas and María Castro.

These artists wanted to join our cause to unite with the plans of those people suffering from leukaemia: more than 5,000 people in Spain, each year. The Jose Carreras Foundation against Leukaemia wants each patient to be able to realize their plans for the future, that each patient “is where they should be”. The Foundation wants people to be at home, or college, etc, not in hospital. To make this a reality more support is needed in order to invest in scientific research and social services for patients.

During the presentation José Carreras said, “Fortunately the figures of cured cases in child leukaemia have improved enormously in the last 20 years, but there is still a lot of work to be done. To achieve success we need the help of society, the help of everyone, because the cure for leukaemia will only be found one way: by continuing our support for researchers in their quest to find the answers”. Mario Casas wanted to add that, “family is crucial and with all my heart I admire the support and bravery of the parents of leukaemia patients. I want to give my support to the José Carreras Foundation which has fought for more than 23 years for a definitive cure for this disease. This cancer especially effects children and is in fact the most common form of cancer in children”.

The event also saw the “orange bowtie” unveiled as the new symbol of the Foundation. The actress María Castro wanted to add that “this is the symbol of a dream that each day becomes a little closer: that leukaemia will one day be 100% curable”.

Niño Jesús Children’s University Hospital in Madrid is one of the Spanish transplant centre which works with the Foundation in the search for compatible bone marrow and umbilical cord blood donors for patients who require a transplant but have no compatible family member. The process is carried out under the aegis of the Ministry of Health.

The special web page of the José Carreras Foundation offers all the materials of this campaign (TV advert, press releases, radio advert and online elements) that will be distributed through a wide range of national media groups during the next few months. You can also help us with this distribution by downloading the material and sharing it with your family, friends and colleagues.