The first edition of les Journées Nationales Contre la Leucémie takes place this weekend in Nice, raising awareness about the disease.
Leukemia is a scary word and not everybody knows that it is actually a cancer of the bone marrow and blood, characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. It affects both males and females of all ages and is sadly the most common cancer in children under the age of 19.
In the US, someone is diagnosed with leukemia every 4 minutes, while someone dies from it every 10 minutes. Even though global survival rates have more than tripled over the last forty years, thanks to harsh yet effective treatments, sadly 20% of childhood leukemias and 45% of adult leukemias still prove fatal. Research into the disease is still vital so that a cure may one day be found.
This is why Association Laurette Fugain, Cent Pour Sang la Vie and various other associations dedicated to the fight against leukemia have decided to organize the “Journées Nationales” this weekend, 29th and 30th March, in 80 cities across France, including Nice. The purpose of the event is to inform the general public, educating them about the various ways in which they can help save lives, but also give them a chance to donate to the cause. All money collected will be used to help fund medical research.
The volunteers will be highly visible throughout the city this weekend in locations such as Place Massena, avenue Jean Médecin, and the main train station. They will be easily recognizable with their tunic with the inscription Je donne, tu cherches, ils guérissent, their balloons and their big smiles.
So if you happen to see them, please do stop and have a chat and make a financial contribution if you can do so. It will only take 5 minutes of your time but those 5 minutes can really mean the chance of a new life for someone else.
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All images courtesy les Journées Nationales Contre la Leucémie
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