The Walk for Life foundation hosts its second Gala

Thursday 24, October 2024

We Celebrate the Second Gala of Fundación Carrera por la Vida on World Breast Cancer Day

To mark World Breast Cancer Day, the Walk for LIfe Foundation held its second Gala award ceremony, commemorating its nineteen years of working to meet the needs of and support individuals and families affected by breast cancer.

Held at the Infanta Leonor Auditorium in Arona, the event brought together more than six hundred people to reflect on the activities carried out over the past year and to acknowledge the support of institutions, companies, groups, and individuals who contribute to its projects, and underline the importance of social responsibility in improving the quality of life for people with breast cancer.

Journalist and breast cancer patient Yaiza Díaz was the host for the evening, and opened the Gala on a personal note, calling for increased public investment in research “to improve treatments that leave us with so many physical and psychological side effects.”

Volunteers, members of the Foundation’s team, and partners presented awards in various categories. In the sports category, Tenerife Másters Club was recognised for promoting ‘Swim for Life’ since 2013, a non-competitive swimming event that shows support for people with breast cancer. In the association category, the Foundation gave special recognition to the INVI Association, the first national organisation to develop on-going activities in support of men with breast cancer, breaking the invisibility that has surrounded the issue. At a regional level, with over 25 years of work, the Asociación de Mujeres de Abona was given an award for its ‘Arico Moves for Life’ project, which supports people with breast cancer.

Emotions and art combined throughout the evening with music and songs from Candelaria González, a breast cancer survivor, guitarist Francis Yanes, and gospel singer Latonius, who has a special bond with the Foundation.

The importance of corporate social responsibility was acknowledged with an award for the Finca Canarias Aloe Vera Group, not only for its financial commitment, but also for its close and supportive relationship with the Foundation. This was highlighted by the launch of the “Dakar for Life” initiative in 2022, aimed at raising awareness of both female and male breast cancer. The initiative features the large pink truck driven by Rafa Lemes, the Group’s president, in the Dakar Rally.

Journalist Juan Carlos Mateu, an award winner in 2023, presented the media award to Canarian Weekly for their commitment and effectiveness in reaching non-Spanish-speaking audiences.

One in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. For the Foundation, research is a priority, and it allocates a significant part of its donations to projects and studies. The FERO Foundation was recognised for its medical work advancing the knowledge and improvement of cancer treatments. Rubén Ventura, FERO’s general director, expressed his gratitude for the annual contributions from Carrera por la Vida and emphasised, “We are living in a historic moment for cancer treatments, and in the next five years, we will see more effective drugs that bring us closer to a cure.”

In addition to the award ceremony, and sharing the achievements of the past year, the Foundation presented its 2025 calendar, with the theme for next year, ‘Fashion for Life’.  The calendar features partnerships from designers, makeup artists, hairdressers, stylists, and photographers, capturing twelve real stories of breast cancer in pictures.

Brigitte Gypen, president of the Walk for Life Foundation was visibly moved as she thanked institutions, organisations, and groups, but “primarily the volunteers and those who support the Foundation, for their commitment and dedication.” She announced the launch of two new projects: ‘Empower in Pink’ promoting physical activity, and ‘Pink Mind’, which will provide free psychological support to patients and their families. In the presence of regional, island, and local authorities, the president called for more public funding to be allocated to cancer research in the Canary Islands, “because only by properly studying it can we reach a total cure for cancer”.

The Gala concluded with a surprise announcement for journalist Yaiza Díaz, who was named the Marshall of this year’s Walk for Life, on 1st December, linking the municipalities of Adeje and Arona.

Photo by Mario Dobrescu

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WuSXFMXmIYuyiDa_PR1fmXEs_qv7H1K8

Photo by Jesús Ferrer

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Video: https://youtu.be/EIQhK9mvLmI