Alive Charity Foundation presented another €100,000 to the Research Trust of the University of Malta (RIDT) to further the University’s specialised programme in cancer research for children.
The sum was collected by Alive cyclists who bravely ventured across seven countries in seven days, covering almost 160 km every day, from the Alps to Sutton in the UK.
Held at San Anton Palace, the presentation from the Alive 2015 Cycling Challenge was presided by President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.
The foundation’s chairman, Nicky Camilleri, presented the donation to University rector and RIDT chairman Juanito Camilleri.
Also present were Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport, Chris Agius, Opposition spokesman for Local Government, Youth and Sport, David Agius, Pierre Schembri Wismayer from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, and consultant paediatric oncologist and president of Puttinu Cares Children’s Cancer Support Group, Victor Calvagna. Alive 2015 was held in collaboration with Puttinu Cares.
Mr Camilleri said that as an established NGO which also formed part of the national cancer platform, the foundation always had a clear vision, that of funding the fight to prevent cancer in Malta through medical research.
“Through our annual cycling challenges, substantial funding has already been raised for breast cancer and children’s cancer research, particularly leukaemia and brain tumours. Our nation has acknowledged the importance of collecting funds to prevent cancer, so much so that through the community, we are raising funds to sustain Maltese university graduates to read for a PhD in specialised medical cancer research. We believe that the most effective way to combat cancer is to carry out strategic research with an aim of speeding up diagnosis, identifying causes and eventually finding cures,” Prof. Camilleri said.
In three weeks’ time, the Remax – Alive 2016 Cycling Challenge for Cancer will take the cyclists from Croatia through Slovenia and northern Italy, to the Vatican City. A gruelling 1,100 km will be covered in seven days. Long hours of regular training are being covered by participants in preparation for this marathon.
With the support of the Remax and Friends Foundation, Alive will also be converting a large courtyard into an outdoor play area and furnishing an indoor play area for children undergoing treatment at the Paediatric Unit within Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre.
Dr Schembri Wismayer explained that this year the funding will go towards a PhD project to use the initial successes in leukaemia differentiation and study its possible applications in brain cancer research.
He said: “One can roughly group cancers into two types: those which one can only get as an adult, such as lung cancer, stomach cancer and melanoma, as well as those one can get both as an adult or as a child, such as leukaemia and brain tumours.
Those wishing to donate can SMS 5061 8081 (€4.66) or call 5061 8913 (€6.99) or 5061 9208 (€11.65).