The Church raises funds for immigrants with cancer

The goal is to raise at least 1.1 million euros to pay for the treatment of 53 people between the ages of 22 and 80. They come from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan and Nigeria. The initiative includes a walk on Sunday, February 19. Among the partners are some state organizations.

Dubai () – The parish of Saint Mary of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is promoting an initiative to raise funds to guarantee medical assistance to cancer patients who lack the financial resources to receive adequate treatment. A project, explain the promoters, which is aimed in particular at immigrant workers from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan and Nigeria, who in most cases do not have sufficient resources for medicines and hospitalization. And a way to show the other side of the emirate, often celebrated for its thriving economy and investment opportunities, in some cases at the expense of a mass of workers who are exploited and relegated to the margins of society.

The fundraiser promoted by the oldest parish in Dubai foresees a walk on February 19. It was renamed “Mercithon 23”, will start from Dubai Creek Park and aims to raise the necessary money to treat 53 cancer patients without resources. One of the initiative’s goals is to raise awareness among the local population and immigrants about the importance of financial (and health) support for low-paid workers who suffer from life-threatening diseases that require time- and resource-intensive treatment.

As explained by the promoters to The National, the objective is, first of all, to “break down the financial barriers” that make treatment difficult, aspiring to raise at least 4 million dinars (almost 1.1 million euros) among the participants and the companies that support the event. The patients targeted by the solidarity initiative are between the ages of 22 and 80 and, in most cases, suffer from a disease that can be cured with appropriate treatment.

In anticipation of the march, on February 15, about a thousand students from St. Mary’s Catholic School organized an event to raise awareness among families and society: the young people came together to form the famous ribbon, a symbol of the fight against cancer in the parish gardens (in the photo), and then marked the number 51, a symbol of the years that have elapsed since the founding and consequent union of the seven Emirates. Added to this is the intention to raise awareness among government institutions that support the most needy patients, also because fundraising in the country is strictly regulated and requires permission from the authorities. With this in mind, the partnership of the Dubai Health Authority and the Community Development Authority at the event is significant.

The Mercithon Solidarity Walk will take place between 8:00 and 16:00. All information is available on the parish website. “We want to unite for a great cause”, underlines the parish priest Fr. Lennie Connully, “to help cancer patients who have the firm will to fight and continue to live”. “The patients we hope to help come from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan and Nigeria,” he added.

Many of the patients work as babysitters, housekeepers, cleaners and handymen. “We want to show our solidarity,” he concluded, “with cancer patients in need, who face the disease with courage and determination.” The organizers hope to gather at least 15,000 participants in the charity event.

Evan Rose, an immigrant sales manager from the Philippines, is touched by the solidarity of so many people coming together to support those in need. This 42-year-old woman has stage three breast cancer, but she cannot afford the cost of chemotherapy and last year she spent hundreds of euros on medication to stop cancer-related infections and bleeding. “I don’t want to die,” says Rose, “I really want to remove this tumor. And I want to be an inspiration as someone who has faced cancer and come through. It’s curable,” she concludes, “and I hope to start treatment soon.”