Champion Mihai Leu joined the MedLife free genetic testing program by offering his first gold medal obtained nationally for children fighting cancer
- MedLife marks the International Childhood Cancer Day by having a moving event at the Cluj Oncology Institute, within the first free genetic testing program, with national coverage, for children recently diagnosed with cancer;
- Mihai Leu, the first Romanian world professional boxing champion and national rally champion donated his gold medal obtained at the National Box Championship in 1983 to be melted and transformed in golden bows, a symbol of the fight against paediatric cancer;
- The sportsman visited the sick children from the Cluj-Napoca Oncology Institute and offered the first 21 bows to those who survived cancer, thus making them Champions of Hope;
- Until now, approximately 300 children with oncology disorders have already been enrolled in the #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer program, representing approximatively half of those that are annually diagnosed in Romania[*];
- Enrolment in the program continues to be free of charge by filling in the form and uploading the medical file of each patient on the following web page medlife.ro/speranta-nu-moare-de-cancer, #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer is a program that was entirely developed by own MedLife funds;
- Currently, MedLife is the operator with the largest expertise in the genetic sequencing field and with one of the largest laboratory and collection centres networks at national level.
MedLife, the largest private medical services network in Romania marked the International Childhood Cancer Day by an event where Mihai Leu, the first world professional boxing champion and national rally champion, made a very hopeful gesture for children suffering from cancer. Thus, the sportsman joined the MedLife genetic testing program for children recently diagnosed with cancer #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer, by donating his first medal obtained at the National Boxing Championship in 1983 to be melted and transformed in 100 gold bows, a symbol of the fight against paediatric cancer. The first 21 bows were offered today, at the Cluj-Napoca Oncology Institute, to children who have won against this severe disease, thus making them Champions of Hope. Another 79 bows remain in exhibition at the Cluj Oncology Institute awaiting their champions.
“This medal means a lot for me, being my first national championship title, but I’m giving it away gladly for children who are beating cancer. To be a champion is to know how to dream beautifully, to fight for what you want and to know that everything is possible. For me, coming from a tougher sport, to be a champion means to never give up, regardless of how many blows you take, regardless if you are near giving up. There are many situations in life where you are standing on the precipice between winning and losing, but it is very important that you believe in yourself and never give up. I believe sick children must see the hope in their parent’s eyes first. There is hope by this free genetic testing program offered by MedLife and there is hope by the dedicated hands of the physicians who are treating them. I believe in their shot to become Champions of Hope” declared Mihai Leu, Ambassador of Hope within the free genetic testing program for children recently diagnosed with cancer.
The story of the medal and the reason for the donation are presented in an touching video made by AV HIVE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDDHTiPFG5c.
The #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer program, “a dream come true” for paediatric oncologists
Currently, MedLife is the operator with the largest expertise in the genetic sequencing field and with one of the largest laboratory and collection centres networks at national level. Launched a year ago, the #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer program has had 300 children as beneficiaries, representing over half of those annually diagnosed with cancer.
“By this genetic testing program we unite our efforts together with medical teams from the entire country to offer children recently diagnosed with cancer an additional chance at life. With our advanced technology Illumina TruSight Oncology we identify essential biomarkers, from those that are frequent to those that are rare, discovering mutations which are the root of the cancer. This step in customised medicine can be a way towards targeted treatments, offering hope to patients and their families” declared Dumitru Jardan, Biologist and Head of the MedLife Genetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory.
In this program, paediatric patients benefit from one of the most complex sequencing tests in the world for oncological diseases, which analyses the mutations of 523 genes associated with multiple types of cancer. Based on the results obtained from the test, oncologists may choose the most appropriate treatments and therapies for each patient, depending on the tumour’s mutational profile.
“The genetic testing program for children with cancer provides access to all children recently diagnosed with cancer and is, for us, paediatric oncologists, a dream come true. We finally have the opportunity to treat patients according to current international standards and to offer them higher chances of survival” mentioned Dr. Rodica Cosnarovici, Head of the Oncopaediatry Department, Cluj-Napoca Oncology Institute.
Children who were recently diagnosed with cancer can continue to be enrolled, free of charge, in the #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer program by one of their parents, legal guardians or attending physician by filling in a form and by uploading their medical file at: https://www.medlife.ro/speranta-nu-moare-de-cancer.
#SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer is a national coverage program fully financed by MedLife. Genetic testing is offered free of charge to children who have been recently diagnosed with cancer, in the conditions presented on the program dedicated page.
About the MedLife Medical System:
The MedLife Medical System was started almost three decades ago, it has developed in a healthy way and has become the largest provider of private medical services in Romania. The Romanian entrepreneurs who started this company have invested and have been involved in making a difference within the Romanian health system, they believed in innovation and dared to aim as high as possible, in order to offer Romanian patients quality, professionalism, care and respect for their needs.
The company operates the most extended clinic network, one of the largest networks of labs, general hospitals and specialised hospitals and has the largest corporate client base for the Health Prevention Packages from the country. It is, also, from a sales standpoint, one of the largest players of private medical services in Central and Eastern Europe.
MedLife Group has had a successful history regarding organic growth, as well as growth by purchase. Its strong and experienced management team was capable to create and manage these growth opportunities, acquiring valuable know-how and experience, which has allowed it to find the best way to successfully communicate the expansion.
Being a traditional Romanian company, MedLife has chosen to be listed in the Romanian Stock Exchange, being a model of listings on the local capital market. It has opened new horizons, and by its implemented corporate governance, it has inspired other local companies to start on this road and to help develop the Romanian capital and economy. The shares issued by MedLife SA are admitted for transactions regulated on the spot market managed by the Bucharest Stock Exchange, Premium Category, with the transaction symbol “M”.
During the pandemic period, MedLife has managed to have an essential role in society and to acquire leader status in the monitoring of the pandemic by its active involvement in the research area. The company continues to invest in projects with impact over the local communities in technology and infrastructure. It creates workplaces and develops an ecosystem which contributes to the development and maintenance of a healthy Romania.
[*] The report is an estimate due to the fact that there is no public official information, at this time, regarding the number of children diagnosed with cancer this year. According to the case analysis from the Romanian Childhood Cancer Registry (2010 – 2017) 400 children and youth are diagnosed and treated every year in Romania’s paediatric oncology clinics. Another source, the European Commission’s platform, which measures the incidence of cancer in children in every EU Member State, ECIS – European Cancer Information System, shows that, in 2022, the cancer incidence in people aged between 0 and 19 years was of 545 cases. Since December 2022, 300 children recently diagnosed with oncological disorders have been enrolled in the First Program of Free Genetic Testing for Children with Cancer.
19.02.2024 / Editor, Andreea Dragan
The diplomatic daily newspaper Nine O’Clock does not assume responsibility for the information received and published on the public website. The responsibility for the content lies solely with the issuer of the press release.
The diplomatic daily newspaper Nine O’Clock cannot be held accountable for false information transmitted by the recipients of the press releases/announcements.
The diplomatic daily newspaper Nine O’Clock reserves the right not to publish press releases that contain inappropriate expressions or accusations and violations of the rights of other individuals, guaranteed by the Constitution of Romania.
The content of the website www.nineoclock.ro is intended for public information. Copying, reproduction, recompilation, modification, as well as any form of content exploitation from this website are prohibited. The use of the Comments section signifies your agreement to abide by the terms and conditions regarding the publication of comments on www.nineoclock.ro.
