A lot of hope and emotion was felt yesterday in the room of the Marylanza hotel, in Arona, the setting for the presentation of the Race for Life 2023that he next Sunday will take thousands of people out to the streets to support women and men with breast cancer and remember the importance of preventing the disease through medical check-ups.
As Brigitte Gypen, president of the Canarian Foundation, highlighted Race for Lifethe meeting will highlight the importance of supporting people who face this pathology, because “having someone by your side is key.”
He explained it with an example. “A few days ago, a woman called us outside the hospital who had just been diagnosed and told us: ‘I don’t know why I’m calling, but I know I have to call because I don’t know what to do,’ Gypen revealed, to emphasize the role that Family, friends and foundations like the one she presides play in forming a “great team” around people immersed in an oncological process.
The president of the foundation invited the participants who will travel the four kilometers that separate the Siam Mall (Adeje) shopping centers, starting point, and Safari (Arona), ending point, to “let themselves be carried away by the love of life.” . Although the departure time will be at 10:30, it is recommended to arrive an hour before to enjoy the activities aimed at all audiences, with zumba, dancing, face painting, 360-degree photocalls and the performance of DJ Dávid Pérez, who will be the great entertainer at the exit.
During the walk, water and fruit will be distributed. In addition, the organization has provided a bus service for people who cannot complete the route and so that, once the activity is finished, participants can return to the starting point. The arrival at Playa de Las Américas will also be full of incentives, with a musical show included by Renzzo El Selector. “It’s going to be a different and fun party, as a party for life should be,” predicts Brigitte Gypen.
The mayor of Adeje highlighted the “solidarity and humanity” of Sunday’s event and drew a parallel with the Christmas lighting that proliferates on these dates throughout all municipalities. “May the Race for Life Christmas light not go out,” he wished. José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga indicated that there are “few events with the international projection of this one” and highlighted its great impact on social networks: “On December 3 we will be in the world.”
The councilor added that initiatives such as the one promoted by the Canary Islands foundation represent a space for “meeting and reunion,” because “there is no doubt about this: we all understand each other.” Finally, he reaffirmed his commitment to promoting the Casa Rosa in Adeje to improve the services currently provided by the Sala Rosa. “Brigitte calls me all the time to remind me,” he joked. “The commitment is firm and inalienable, but it is not easy, you have to be calm.”
For her part, Fátima Lemes, mayor of Arona, pointed out that “Sunday will be a beautiful day.” After remembering that last year, when she was not yet part of the municipal corporation, she felt “very lucky” to participate in the “race of feelings and love,” the councilor thanked the work of the foundation and its volunteers, and personalized His praise goes to Herminia Tacoronte, activity coordinator and icon in the fight against the disease, whom he referred to as “the example of the beautiful things that can be done with love and unity.”
Lemes insisted that the Arona City Council “supports this cause with special affection” and thanked the visibility of the fight against breast cancer and the contribution of this type of initiatives to achieve greater funding for research. Precisely, next Sunday’s proceeds (each t-shirt costs six euros) will go to the foundation’s projects and “tomorrow’s solutions,” in Gypen’s words.
Registration can be done at www.carreraporlavida.org and on Saturday and Sunday morning at the Siam Mall. This year there will be three colors of t-shirts: pink for people who suffer from or have overcome breast cancer, white for family and friends, and blue to facilitate the visibility of volunteers. As in previous years, each participant will be able to dedicate their action by specifying on the back of the t-shirt the name of the person for whom they are carrying out this activity.
The godfather in this edition will be the driver Rafael Lesmes, who in January will participate with a large pink truck in the Dakar Rally and who yesterday spoke from the heart, even acknowledging that he felt safer in the desert than in front of the microphones: “I am one more volunteer and I feel honored, flattered and overwhelmed, so I am the one who has to thank Carrera por la Vida and the municipalities of Adeje and Arona,” he said, excited.
