BarcelonaIt’s already a Christmas tradition. Every December, Catalonia shows its most supportive side by joining La Marató, the great 3Cat program to boost research for a disease. This year the cause to which the initiative is dedicated is an old acquaintance, cancer, which has already played a leading role The Marathon on five occasions, the last of them in 2018 (then 15,068,252 euros were collected, the program’s historical record). The 34th edition of The Marathon is celebrated this Sunday and as usual will start early in the morning and will last until almost one in the morning. The program will feature voices who have experienced cancer up close. Among others, Júlia Otero, Òscar Dalmau, Ricky Rubio or Andrea Fuentes, alongside anonymous witnesses who will help to understand the impact of the disease on a day-to-day basis.
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The person in charge of driving The Marathon it will be Ramon Pellicer, who already has experience in this macro program because he was the solo presenter twenty years ago. Then the cause to which she was dedicated The Marathon so was cancer. “[És un programa per al qual] a deep dive is required. In the previous months, you take part in the filming, you step on territory and you try to assimilate the large volume of information that involves knowing the disease technically. The most relevant thing, however, is to get closer to reality and the experiences of the people, the real protagonists of the program,” explains Pellicer about the difficulty involved in making a 17-hour broadcast program. Despite the fact that the former presenter of TV news will be the solo driver, who will give the starting shot will be Roger Escapa fromThe supplementthe weekend program of Catalunya Ràdio. Speaking to 3CatInfo, the journalist remarked that The Marathon it is not a simple television program, but has become “a State structure”. On the occasion of the solidarity event, the radio magazine will be broadcast from the Port of Tarragona and will be broadcast simultaneously on television, radio and the 3Cat platform.
Pellicer and Escapa will not be alone. Other well-known faces from 3Cat will act as reporters and presenters. In Tarragona, Xantal Llavina will make connections from the telephone office in Tarragona. For their part, the presenters of Regional newsNúria Solé and Pere Bosch, will tour the territory. Finally, Maria Bouabdellah, from the program Randomof the SX3, the Sanfes, the program APM?will be the reporters who will connect live to explain healthy habits that must be maintained to try to prevent cancer. Through the live connections it will also be possible to see some of the 3,000 popular activities taking place this year, some with the presence of well-known faces from public television.
The Marathon this year it will have two main stages. In the morning, the program will take place from the Torre Bellesguard, located in Barcelona and the work of Antoni Gaudí. in the afternoon, The Marathon will move to stage 1 of Sant Joan Despí.
A cause that appeals to everyone
Whenever The Marathon has dedicated itself to cancer, the response from viewers has been overwhelming. This is because it is a set of diseases that the population feels close to. In Catalonia, one in two men and one in three women will develop cancer in their lifetime. In men it represents the first cause of death, and the most common are prostate, colorectal, lung, bladder and liver. Among women it is the second cause of death, after cardiovascular diseases, and the most common are breast, colorectal, lung, uterine and brain tumours. In children, cancer is uncommon, but due to its severity, it is the first cause of death in children aged 5 to 14 and the second cause of death in children aged 15 to 24, after accidents.
From the Foundation of The Marathon point out how research has changed the way cancers are prevented and treated. Among other things, it has been possible to develop a personalized medicine that adapts the therapies to each patient and each tumor, a fact that increases their effectiveness and reduces their side effects. The result has been an increase in survival from cancers such as breast, prostate, colon and rectal. Even so, the foundation points out that there are still cancers that have a poor prognosis and for which further research is needed. In this group are those of the pancreas, esophagus, lung or liver, and brain tumors, all of which have a survival rate of less than 30%.
As usual with The Marathon those who want to collaborate can do so all year, and not just on the day of the program. Donations can be made through the lamarato.cat website, at Bizum 33333 and by bank transfer. In addition, on the day of the program, the telephone number 900 21 50 50 will be enabled, which will be answered from the four telephone offices (one enabled in each provincial capital).
