David Popovici donated his World Cup medal as a sign of hope for children with cancer

Multiple European and world junior and senior swimming champion, David Popovici, donated a ‘soul’ medal to children with oncological conditions. His initiative comes in support of the #HopeNuMoareDeCancer program, launched by MedLife, in which he joined as an Ambassador of Hope.

The donated gold medal is the one won at the World Championships in Budapest in the men’s 200 m freestyle, a performance with which the athlete made history, being the first world title in the Olympic pool for Romanian male swimming. David Popovici thus transforms the gold of excellence into a symbol of hope in children’s fight against cancer. The road to victory, the donation and melting of the medal, as well as the arguments behind this special gesture, are captured in an emotional video made by Studio Diud, with the support of the association Dăruiește Viață:

“I chose to donate a soul medal, very important to me, to those who need it more, so that hope can go on. The truth is that by far the most important championship is the championship of life, the maintenance of health. Children diagnosed with cancer need our support. The talents they have, their ambitions for the future, but above all the temerity they have to show in the fight against this disease make them extraordinary people. In order to be as many as possible who help these children, I invite all of you to donate a little of your time to give a share to the #SperantaNuMoareDeCancer program, so that it reaches those who really need it. Believe me, every one of you matters, every share matters, every child matters, and a normal gesture on your part can mean a great chance of survival for these children“, said David Popovici, who is Ambassador of Hope within the program developed by MedLife.

The donated medal has been melted down and is in the process of taking the form of more than 100 gold bows, a symbol of the fight against childhood cancer. These will be given to children who beat cancer, with David wanting every child to win this battle in the future.

“Every day a child in Romania is diagnosed with cancer. Every day a family in Romania enters the battle with this merciless disease. Unfortunately, we can’t fight this disease ourselves, but we can give a little of our time to raise awareness of the #Hope-NuMoareDeCancer program, a free genetic testing program launched by MedLife for children recently diagnosed with cancer in order to improve therapeutic success. David is an example for us in so many ways, and the lesson of generosity is yet another valuable thing for us to learn from. Thank you, David, from the bottom of my heart for your gesture to bring hope where it is most needed! We also thank you, everyone, for your support in making this program known. Together we can make a difference”, said Ina Ilie, Director of Communication within the MedLife Group.

#SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer is a free program, fully supported by MedLife’s own funds, in which pediatric patients recently diagnosed with cancer can benefit from one of the most complex sequencing tests in the world for oncological conditions, which analyzes mutations of 523 genes associated with multiple types of cancer. Based on the test results, oncologists will be able to choose the most appropriate treatments and therapies for each patient, depending on the mutational profile of the tumor.

“The Illumina TruSight Oncology 500 is a highly complex test that evaluates several biomarkers, both the most frequent and the rarest, having the ability to identify most types of mutations that affect numerous genes involved in cancer. In addition, the results of the test are obtained quickly and are extremely relevant in shaping the therapeutic protocol, contributing to the efficiency of treatment options according to the identified genetic profile. We work closely with pediatric oncologists from all over the country, to whom after testing we provide information about patients’ prognosis, tumor profile, and depending on this data, doctors can offer targeted therapies or, in the absence of nationally approved protocols, have in mind see international clinical studies suitable for each patient“, said the biologist Dumitru Jardan, coordinator of the “Hope does not die of cancer” program.

Children diagnosed with cancer in the last six months can be enrolled by filling out a form and uploading the medical record to the page www.medlife.ro/speranta-nu-moare-de-cancer.

Registration can be done through one of the parents, the legal guardian or the attending physician. Thus, they could benefit from personalized therapies following genetic testing.