THEtogether, to defeat female cancers. A goal that is ever closer year after year thanks to Pink Ambassador project by Umberto Veronesi Foundationnow in its tenth edition this year: a pink wave that has arrived throughout Italy since 2014, involving over 800 women who fought a breast, uterine or ovarian cancer. Courageous women who with their stories and their commitment demonstrate that “nothing stops pink, nothing stops women” and life can and must go on after a cancer diagnosis: they experienced the disease, the fears and hopes during the treatment process but today, especially thanks to advances in scientific research, each of them can have a future.
To demonstrate this, the Pink Ambassadors have personally committed themselves to spreading information on the importance of early diagnosis and correct lifestyles in the fight against tumors, but also to support excellent scientific research so that all women can always find a response to their illness.
After ten years and over 550,000 euros raised through the crowdfunding platform Together and intended to finance researchers engaged in the fight against female cancers, the pink testimonials of Fondazione Umberto Veronesi celebrated together in Octoberbreast cancer awareness month, during the Pink Ambassador Ceremony 2023: a big party attended, alongside ‘historic’ Pink Ambassadors who have been part of the project since the first edition and others who have just ‘enlisted’, the president of the Veronesi Foundation Paolo Veronesi and exceptional guests such as the singer-songwriter and musician Paola Iezzi and Claudia Giordani, CONI vice-president.
Gabriella Doneda, Paola Iezzi, Paolo Veronesi, Raffaella Ferrara, Ilaria Durosini, Claudia Giordani and Danda Santini during the annual ceremony held on Sunday 8 October at the Triennale di Milano.
Body and mind
The Pink Ambassadors selected for the new edition of the project are in fact engaged in intense free training coordinated and managed by Italian Athletics Federationto prepare for a national half marathon with the support and patronage of CONI and ANCI – National Association of Italian Municipalities.
But next to the Pink Ambassadors, smiling in their beautiful pink t-shirts made especially for the occasion by Decathlon and have now become the symbol of a truly national women’s movementthere are also travel companions like the psychologist Ilaria Durosini, who from the stage of the Pink Ambassador ceremony recalled how psychological support is fundamental in this project: «Those who have been diagnosed with cancer often seek the support of people close to them to better manage the resulting emotional burden, but sometimes the discussion can be difficult because they feel ashamed or fear not being listened to and understood fully. bottom, to the point of feeling even more uncomfortable and ending up withdrawing into oneself. The Pink Ambassador group gave women the opportunity to open up and discuss with those who have lived similar experiences, finding understanding and listening, speaking a ‘common language’ which has allowed us to build a real, big pink family. It is a group experience that no longer makes you feel alone and that motivates the participants day after day, thanks to connection and sharing.”
Prevention and research
In short, the teammates are a second family, friends with whom you can understand each other without speaking: all together, supporting each other, the Pink Ambassadors put themselves on the line with energy and determination to take back their lives and improve itbecoming witnesses of the message of information, prevention and support for scientific research that the Umberto Veronesi Foundation has been carrying out since its inception twenty years ago.
Some of the new Pink Ambassadors of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, all united to run together against female cancers.
The Pink Ambassador project, created this year thanks to the precious contribution of companies that have long been close to the Umberto Veronesi Foundation such as Clinians, Credem Euromobiliare Private Banking, Essse Caffè, Lenergia SpA, Alce Nero, Cortilia and Motiva, is in fact part of the project Pink is Good, which supports excellent research projects (such as the PINK Study, dedicated to oncology diagnostics and personalized medicine) and which every year funds doctors and researchers engaged in the fight against female tumors.
Every year over 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, over 11,000 uterine cancer and over 5,000 ovarian cancer and for many, many of them today there is hope of a cure thanks to the work of the 305 researchers that the Foundation has supported since its inception, raising funds also thanks to the commitment of the Pink Ambassadors. An effort that continues: the objective is to increasingly swell the pink wave which has never stopped growing year after year and in the coming months other women, other pink ambassadors will pick up the baton and join the project for the 2024 edition.
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