The Spanish Association Against Cancer has been the reference entity in the fight against cancer for 70 years. It dedicates its efforts to showing the reality of cancer in Spain, detecting areas for improvement and launching a process of social transformation that allows them to be corrected in order to obtain a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to cancer. Its DNA is to be at the side of people, which is why its work is also oriented to helping them prevent cancer; to be with them and their families throughout the process of the disease, if they are diagnosed; and to improve their future by promoting oncological research. In this sense, through its Scientific Foundation, the Association brings together the social demand for cancer research, financing quality oncological scientific research programs through public competition. Today, it is the social and private entity that allocates the most funds to cancer research: 104 million euros in 565 projects, in which more than 1,000 researchers participate.
The Spanish Association Against Cancer has achieved a resounding success, without similar precedent, in the thirty-nine editions that have been held of the Gala Against Cancer in Marbella. For the first time, 620 attendees have been reached, exceeding by more than 20% the initial capacity of the Finca de la Concepción, planned for five hundred people. A record that takes on double value if we take into account that the Gala had coincided this year with other large events in the city.
Ticket sales have reached €170,000 in revenue, a figure that consolidates the Gala Against Cancer in Marbella as the most important charity event in Spain, by raising more than €200,000 in a single night. To this year’s ticket sales we must add what was obtained in the auction, the raffle and the Row Zero, which has been one of the most successful in recent years, reaching €20,000. From all this income we will have to subtract the organisational costs, which have been reduced compared to the previous year, in order to obtain the final balance which will almost certainly be higher than that obtained in previous galas. Once again this year, all the profits from this edition will be used to finance research projects and to cover all the programmes and services that the Spanish Association Against Cancer provides free of charge to patients and their families in the city of Marbella. Among them, a new one on nutrition, speech therapy and courses to stop smoking.
In addition to the president of the Local Board of the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Marbella, Santiago Gómez-Villares, the association was also represented by the president of the Provincial Board in Malaga, Joaquín Morales Rubio; Dr. Antonio Rueda, president of the Technical Committee of the Association in Malaga and the team in charge of organizing the Gala, which is made up of the vice president of Marbella, Setareh Mohregui and the members María Matías, José Higuera, Francisco Sánchez, Tamara Bastida and Javier Muñiz.
The Gala Against Cancer has also been the perfect setting to present the third edition of The Fighter award, which is given annually and aims to recognise the contribution made by people or institutions in the normalisation of the word cancer so that all patients have the same opportunities when facing the disease. In this third edition, the Marbella headquarters has decided to recognise the actress and presenter Lara Dibildos, “for her contribution to the normalisation of cancer and for giving visibility to people who fight against the disease anonymously. Lara is a public figure who has participated in different prevention campaigns and is also an example of overcoming in her personal and family fight against the disease”. For her part, Lara Dibildos, who received the award from Santiago Gómez Villares and Setareh Mohregui, wanted to highlight the importance of cancer research in ending the disease and had an emotional memory for all the people who are currently fighting the disease and also for her mother, Laura Valenzuela, who was a cancer patient and helped her throughout her oncological process.
