Gala do Bem exceeds fundraising goal
On a riveting night, society came together to support the treatment and research against childhood cancer carried out at Pequeno Príncipe Hospital
The 2023 Gala do Bem, held by Pequeno Príncipe Hospital, at the beginning of October, in Curitiba, exceeded its fundraising goal, reaching the mark of US$ 270,800.00 donated towards research and care for children and adolescents who are fighting childhood cancer, or who require a bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Click here to see the detailed use of resources.
“We have gigantic challenges and many opportunities every day to make a positive impact and give life a chance. The support of each one of you is essential so that together we can offer this chance of life to all children,” highlighted the Hospital’s executive director, Ety Cristina Forte Carneiro, in her speech.
Solidarity seasoned with haute cuisine
The 2023 Gala do Bem had an exclusive menu with starter and two main courses, designed by chefs Rafa Costa e Silva, Morena Leite and Claude Troisgros, who is also the event’s curator and patron of Pequeno Príncipe’s social mobilization actions for over ten years. Espaço Klaine, a great supporter of the initiative, created the cocktail and dessert.
The night was marked by a tribute to doctor Eurípides Ferreira, for his invaluable contributions to health, and to businesswoman Tatiana Reichmann, CEO of Ademicon and a great supporter of social causes.
Many Tigre Elache and Marjorie Geiger Hauser were the co-chairs of this special edition. For 15 years, they have engaged their networks in favor of the cause against childhood cancer and played a key role in the implementation and maintenance of the Hospital’s Bone Marrow Transplantation Service, one of the main services in Latin America.
“The event was surrounded by an atmosphere of friendship bonds. I think the relationship we all have with Pequeno Príncipe Hospital begins with a bond of friendship. Doctor Eurípides started this project, which we embraced at the beginning, in 2010. It then spread to many other friends who we brought together as supporters for the Hospital. And today we honor a great friend, businesswoman Tatiana, who is also dedicated to the social cause,” highlighted Many.
For Marjorie, who is also a volunteer in the Spirituality Ministry at the Hospital, the role of the Pequeno Principe is unique. “This Hospital plays a very important role in our society. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of you, who, with your efforts, help to change the lives of our children.”
Several authorities also participated in the event. The acting mayor, Eduardo Pimentel Slaviero, reinforced the importance of Pequeno Príncipe for pediatric care and declared support for the construction of Pequeno Príncipe North, a project that will expand the institution, building a new unit in the North Region of Curitiba. “My coming here today is to guarantee that, within the possibilities of the city hall, we will provide full and unrestricted support for the Pequeno Príncipe Hospital in the Northern Region. The Pequeno Príncipe is a pride of the city of Curitiba,” he highlighted.
Stories of determination and struggle that moved
“I have a leukemia that likes me, but I don’t like it very much,” said Lara Lang, 17, a patient at Pequeno Príncipe who has been fighting cancer since she was 3 years old. The young woman is not yet cured, but she does not give up. “I fight a lot, because I still believe that one day I will make it. And today I want to thank everyone who took care of me and takes care of me, and Dr. Flora, who is in oncology and who is my bedrock,” she added. Lara attended the event to give her testimony about the importance of having a specialized center to fight against this and other complex diseases.
This same determination to seek a cure is what moved doctor Eurípides Ferreira, scientific honoree of the night. “In 1960, I took care of a 6-year-old boy, he had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At that time there was no chemotherapy or antibiotics for the case. And I asked if everything was okay. He replied yes and asked: ‘Uncle, will you let me die at home?’ I replied: ‘You are entitled to that.’ That day, I promised myself that I would make every effort to cure leukemia. I went to study and received a lot of support,” he recalled.
The then young doctor’s journey passed through Europe and the United States. He crossed paths with the greatest researchers of the time and returned to Curitiba in 1975. With new expectations and a universe of possibilities and new treatments, he returned to Pequeno Príncipe to treat, heal, and inspire.
“He had been with the greatest scientists of the time and now he was there, at the Hospital, discussing cases and teaching us. Today, I can diagnose leukemia knowing that it is not a death sentence, but that there is hope for a cure. We cure cancer in children, we treat them with respect and humility, and the person who taught us all this was Dr. Eurípides. This is a legacy we continue. Thank you very, very much,” thanked the head of the Oncology and Hematology Service of Pequeno Príncipe, Flora Mitie Watanabe.
Gratitude is also the feeling of Divone Domingos, Lara’s mother. “I thank God, because if it weren’t for the Pequeno Príncipe we wouldn’t have been here fighting for 16 years; and she is wonderful.”
Lara and Dr. Eurípides are two of the many examples of stories played out in the century-old existence of Pequeno Príncipe. Their lives lead the institution to innovate, invest and transform. They inspire, as do hundreds of other patients and professionals.
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