He Malasmadres and Cinfa Club They celebrate the 4th edition of the solidarity action “They matter” with the recognition of four inspiring women. The initiative, launched in 2021 by both entities, gives a voice to women facing major life challenges: the illness or disability of a son or daughter, or the challenge of living with their own illness or functional diversity.
This year, a total of 98 women from all over Spain shared their stories, adding to the nearly 800 stories featured in previous editions.
Specifically, the story of Joana Aramendía, originally from Estella (Navarra)was awarded in the category “Mothers caring for sons and daughters who are sick or have special needs”. Joana (@hodeilargicln6) is the mother of three children, two of whom have Batten disease, a rare degenerative disease.
She herself emphasizes that her participation in “They matter” It was “an opportunity to share our story and Batten Disease and, with that, to continue to fight, research and try to improve the quality of life of people affected by this disease, like my little ones. Hodei and Ilargi.
Concretely, the aid granted will be used “for research, since it is precisely planned for next year”. a clinical trial in California of gene therapy for our children’s disease, and all help will be needed,” he adds.
Courageous and resilient women
The other three women whose stories were selected in the IVth edition of “They count” They are Patricia González (Madrid), also recognized in the category “Mothers who care for sons and daughters who are sick or with special needs”, and Ángela Domínguez (Madrid) and Alba Saskia (Blanes, Girona) in the category “Women who live with an illness or functional diversity”.
Patricia Gonzalez Velasco (@patrimakeupmadrid) is the mother of a 17 month old baby diagnosed with an ultra-rare lymphoma, the only case in Spain. Patricia had lived with her mother’s cancer since she was a teenager, and in recent years, the disease led to two very close deaths: that of her mother and that of her brother.
“This Christmas, my greatest gift is that my baby is cured and I know that my mother and my brother, from heaven, are very proud of me for this recognition,” says Patricia. “I will allocate assistance for the costs of treatment, medication and travel to the hospital for an independent mother who does not have the means 100% of the CUME“, he emphasizes.
For his part, Angela Dominguez Dorado (@angela_paraciclista) was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury that left her using a wheelchair after years of medical complications. In addition, he also faces the illnesses of his son and daughter.
Ángela is an example of improvement and wants this recognition to continue to raise awareness of illnesses and demonstrate that her disability does not define who she is. “For me, being one of the recognized means have the opportunity to continue to prove that I may have a disability, But I’m not letting her get to me. The help received will allow him “to be able to buy the adapted bike with cushioning that I need and to continue to raise awareness about my second son’s Tourette syndrome, as I have done until now”.
Likewise, Alba Saskia Rivas (@soyhope), with Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome, lives with a rare condition that affects her hearing and mobility. For Alba, this recognition is an emotional boost and a platform to make rare diseases visible.
“Being one of the recognized ones is dopamine in your veins. Knowing that my story touches so many women and empowers us is very comforting. Use my voice, the one that once broke, to shout “We are not invisible.” Regarding financial support, this will go “to a neurorehabilitation treatment that I am doing with my osteopath. I have suffered from muscular dystrophy for 12 years and this type of treatment helps me re-educate the muscles of the lower part,” he says.
A mission: to give voice to functional diversity
One more year, “They Count” reminds us of the power of stories that make different realities visible and transform society. Behind the stories received in this fourth edition, there are women and mothers who fight to be visible and for their stories to be recognized as they deserve.
“Every year, the “They Count” project fascinates us because behind the stories that we have collected for four editions, there are incredible women who inspire us with their resilience, their fight and their commitment and who deserve to be recognized.
Alba, Ángela, Patricia and Joana are joining the “They Count” community of women this year, but there are many others who, thanks to this initiative, have been able to tell their story and make it visible. Our commitment, that of Malasmadres and Cinfa, is to develop the “They Count” community so that they do not feel alone, because emotional support is essential for everyone,” comments Laura Baena, founder of Club Malasmadres.
For his part, Enrique Ordières, president of Grupo Cinfa, affirms that “since the start of this initiative, we have been able to learn stories of overcoming and strength in the face of very difficult situations.
Testimonies that allow us to value the importance of living each moment intensely, despite adversity, and which reaffirm our conviction to continue to give voice to so many women and families who live with illness or disability in their lives daily and which serve as an example. We.”
Next December 11, during a gala that will take place in Madrid and which can also be followed online, Cinfa and the Malasmadres Club community will pay tribute to these four extraordinary women who are the standard bearers of all participants in this edition.
This gala will also have the presence of the ambassadors of the IV edition of “They Count”: Lucía Mi Pediatra, ambassador of the three previous editions; Sara Pereira, a mother who fights every day against the rare illness of her son Mateo, and Marta Brule, who beat cancer like her son, being an example of improvement and hope.
Stories that deserve to be recognized
Alongside the four women selected by the jury among the five stories most voted for by the Malasmadres community, there are other testimonies that have also received great social support.
In the category “Caring mothers of boys and girls with illnesses or special needs” there are also the stories of Cristina Arias García, mother of a two-year-old girl with a rare disease that no one knows was able to name; Isabel Magro, mother of Mateo, who suffers from a mutation in a gene called BCAP31, with no cure or treatment, and Tamara Blanco Polo, mother of a child diagnosed with childhood Tay-Sachs disease, which is incurable and whose life expectancy is 3 to 5 years.
In the “Women Living with Illness or Functional Diversity” category, stories like that of Lidia Obispo, who suffers from severe chronic and irreversible fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome/severe myalgic encephalomyelitis, and multiple chemical sensitivity, also received social recognition. among other conditions; Aroa Estévez García, diagnosed with autism, fibromyalgia and C-PTSD, and Bruna Corominas, diagnosed with severe bilateral hearing loss.
Discover all the life stories presented during the fourth edition of this solidarity initiative on ellacuentan2024.es
