Dear colleagues, members and partners,
You may know it already, September is always our busiest time of the year. The 9th month of the year is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness and funds to fight cancer affecting children and adolescents. This year, we got busier than ever with no less than 8 events and initiatives that SIOPE organised as part of the so-called “Gold September”! In a month, we managed to reach 150,000 people both directly and via digital communications. Discover how!
An exceptional event occurred in Brussels on 6 September. Manneken Pis, the icon of Brussels, proudly sported his brand-new Paediatric Oncologist costume, thanks to the generous gift of designer Label Janue. A breathtaking transformation to symbolise hope and unity, witnessed by 50 members of our community but more importantly by the thousands of tourists from all over the world who paid a visit to the little man that day!
MEP’s Against Cancer (MAC) Interest Group and SIOPE Annual Policy Event
On 7 September, SIOPE, in partnership with CCI-Europe and the MEP’s Against Cancer (MAC) Interest Group organised their annual policy event. It featured a range of perspectives from the EU political arena, academia, patients and the pharmaceutical industry. The discussions highlighted the need to build an EU regulatory environment that is patient-centric and best positioned to address unmet medical needs, including the needs of young cancer patients.
SIOPE Session at the European Health Forum Gastein 2023
We are also proud to let you know that SIOPE organised a session at the European Health Forum Gastein 2023. The theme “Pioneering cross-border collaborations for the European Health Union - Learnings from Childhood cancer successes” gathered high level speakers and participants from the public and private sector, civil society, science and academia.
Our Belgium-based community of healthcare professionals, survivors, parents, friends and families gathered on 24 September to run the "Dwars door Mechelen" charity run. For the fourth year, it was the occasion to raise money from both participants and spectators.
The name says it all. On 27 September, we invited everyone to wear their finest gold or yellow outfits to show their support in the most visual way. This generated a series of memorable group photos from our offices and community members across Europe, including hospitals and companies such as Amazon. These lit up our social media in gold for a day!
6 podcasts to shed light on overlooked childhood cancer problems in Europe. 6 episodes from patient advocates, young doctors and the ESCALIER team to explain their realities in simple words, produced in partnership with CCI-Europe. Listen up!
Month-long partnership with the most famous Belgian library
We teamed up with Filigranes and hung Gold September posters up in all their libraries around the country. Customers could be made aware of our cause and encouraged to donate via a simple QR code scan. We made sure they received a golden pin ribbon in exchange for their support.
Allow me to end with an inspiring story of dedication and togetherness. Our good friend Stefan Bielack hopped on his tricycle and rode 1,400 km in a month down the Danube. Across 4 countries he visited 6 hospitals and their staff committed to curing childhood cancer. Congratulations on the journey Stefan and for being a champion of childhood cancer!
This newsletter is special because it showcases our actions within Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Nevertheless, it also features important updates on our ongoing projects, policy activities, working groups, and more.
Stay tuned with SIOP Europe!
Prof. Carmelo Rizzari
SIOP Europe President