Blood Tumors: European Cycling Relay Kicks Off to Support Patients
From today until September 11, an Italian team of 9 cyclists will run over 300 km from Boudry, Switzerland, to Nimes, France. This is one of the stages of the “Country 2 Country 4 Cancer”, the cycling relay that has been organized for 11 years by Bristol Myers Squibb to support the organizations of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Organizations such as Ail, the Italian Association for the fight against leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Cycling enthusiasts and others will be able to contribute with a donation to the members of the ‘Bikers4Hope’ team: to date, almost 5 thousand euros have already been collected, but we are still at the beginning and there are another 28 days to participate (here is the link to the project).
The “C2C4C” cycling relays
The cycling relay initiative to raise funds for research and patients was born in the USA in 2014, then extended to Europe in 2016, Japan in 2021 and Latin America in 2022.
The name, C2C4C, stands for several types of races: the “Country 2 Country 4 Cancer” (Europe), the “Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer” (United States) and the “Continent 2 Continent 4 Cancer” (Japan and Latin America). The project involves hundreds of employees representing over 30 countries who dedicate their time to training and raising funds. Since the first edition, more than 16 million dollars have been donated to research and since the first edition of the European race, more than 3.1 million dollars have been donated to cancer patients.
The team members are all first-time cyclists who have put in 5 months of intensive training to complete their racing portion, and are all Bms employees. This year’s European Relay involves over 95 riders in Europe from 17 countries. In total, participants will be in the saddle for 18 days and we will ride almost 2,200 kilometers through 5 countries, from Germany to the United Kingdom.
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The Ail Houses
Ail has been operating for 55 years, thanks to 17 thousand volunteers and 83 territorial sections. Currently 38 of these offer the reception service for patients and families, with 128 apartments and 5 residences in 88 real estate units, for a total of 670 beds.
“In addition to the emotional upheaval, the patient also has to face a series of practical difficulties, which add to the stress of treatment – he underlines Joseph ToroNational President of Ail – In 2023, 1,117 patients and 1,278 family members were hosted, for a total of 62,898 nights offered. Bristol Myers Squibb, thanks to the Country 2 Country 4 Cancer initiative, has been close to AIL for many years and we are very happy to be able to give a further boost to our hospitality activity at the Ail Homes also thanks to this important charitable initiative”.
“We are proud to support, with the fundraising promoted thanks to the commitment of our riders, the ‘Case Ail’ project. The hematological patient must undergo long therapies, which can only be guaranteed by highly specialized Hematology Centers – concludes Queen VasiliouVice President, General Manager of Bristol Myers Squibb Italia – The AIL Homes are real residential facilities created to host, in a difficult moment of their lives, patients and families who live far from the treatment center: places where they can find welcome, comfort and all the necessary services without worrying about economic aspects. They are not only logistical points of reference, but also emotional, thanks to the comparison and sharing that arise with the volunteers and other families present”.
