During the presentation of the 12th Solidarity Race against ALS organized by the Eurocaja Rural Foundation, which will be held on October 6 in Toledo, the Minister of Social Protection, Bárbara García Torijano, announced that the Government of Castilla-La Mancha will anticipating the approval of the ALS law and prioritizes assessments of dependency and disability for people affected by the disease.
In this presentation, and with the president of the Eurocaja Rural Foundation, Javier López, the councilor stressed that this year, in addition, this Solidarity Race against ALS “has an important and special nuance, because we are lucky, since a few days ago we have witnessed a unanimous agreement between all political representatives in Congress to approve and urgently pass the law on ALS patients.
After stressing that “people who suffer from ALS become dependent in a very short time”, Torijano recalled that the Government of Castilla-La Mancha For years, he has favored urgency when carrying out situation recognition procedures. and the degree of dependency, as well as the degree of disability, “to all people with ALS, so that they do not have to wait on waiting lists to be evaluated”, because it is the first step to be able to benefit from a benefit, and therefore from a certain attention, and the care necessary to accompany in this very difficult and hard process.
Regarding the race, including the Olympic athlete from Toledo Irene Sánchez-Escribano serves as godmotherIt was announced that the Cantabrian Association of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, CanELA, would be one of the beneficiaries. For this reason, the mayor of Santander, Gema Igual, expressed the city’s support for CanELA by receiving in her office the president of the Cantabrian association, José Fernando San Emeterio. Adelante Castilla-La Mancha, ADELA Madrid, ELA Castilla y León, ADELA Comunidad Valenciana, ELA Region of Murcia and ARAELA (Aragon) are also beneficiaries.
The test will have two distances, ten and five kilometerss -with a fully accessible route-, as well as categories for children but also includes several possibilities for non-present participation such as collaboration through social networks, since the Eorucaja Rural Foundation will donate one euro for each publication that includes the hashtag #CarrerasSolidariaFundaciónECR, as well as virtually through the number zero.
In addition, there will be a symbolic march against ALSin which people affected by this disease, family members and representatives of the beneficiary entities, Eurocaja Rural and its Foundation, as well as public institutions will participate.
Registration for adults costs 12 euros and 10 euros for children’s races.. Registration for this 100% solidarity action is now open and will remain available until October 3 via the Foundation’s website www.eurocajarural.fun
The race, which last year recorded 4,000 registrations and a total of 66,400 euros collected, aims to exceed this threshold and thus obtain a larger sum to allocate to the beneficiary associations.
In addition, this 12th edition has a special dedication this year and will be celebrated in memory of José Luis García Fernández, an ALS patient who was part of the Eurocaja Rural staff and who died last April.
Necessary activities
At the event, Esther Portillo, who has suffered from ALS for four years, assured that the disease “needs solidarity initiatives like this one” that “help enormously” the associations so that can complement the physical and psychological treatments needed by patients.
He also wanted to recall the agreement reached for the approval of the ALS law, which will soon be validated in the Congress of Deputies and the Senate to offer 24-hour care in advanced phases, although he insisted that solidarity initiatives are still necessary.
The President of Eurocaja Rural He wanted to have a few words in memory of José Luis García Fernández. “Unfortunately, his voice will no longer be heard but ours will be, those of us who are here and wherever we reach and transmit the voice to fight against this damn disease.”
López Martín was “overwhelmed” and grateful for the collaboration to develop this solidarity event, emphasizing that the Eurocaja Rural Foundation “has always been very aware of the needs” that come to it, an entity “that has feeling and heart.”There is no excuse not to participate, break all records and keep this flame alive.“This is the voice that we must convey to fight the disease and provide everything we can in solidarity,” he said.
