The aim is to inspire reflection, a turn towards the positive in all those who live closely with multiple sclerosis through a campaign that draws attention to and raises awareness on the disease. The aim was also to pay tribute to the ability of people affected by this disease to overcome and fight.
On the occasion of National Multiple Sclerosis Day, two volunteers from our Foundation’s Madrid office and children of people affected by the disease got in touch with the Spanish Multiple Sclerosis Association (AEDEM) to carry out a joint, novel and daring initiative: the First Letter of Thanks for A Disease. As you can imagine, the aim was not at all to thank multiple sclerosis for coming into their lives, but rather to raise awareness of the disease and to broaden social knowledge about it, but also to help us to look as positively as possible. Multiple sclerosis (MS) has no cure at the moment, which is why it is so important that medicine advances as well as a positive attitude on the part of the affected person.
Both Julio and Carlota (creators of the initiative) started writing their letters of gratitude to multiple sclerosis, to later end up creating a website that gathers all those letters written by anyone in contact with the disease (affected, family members, friends, carers, acquaintances, neurologists…) in which they highlight something positive that the disease has brought to their lives. Among the most surprising letters we find the love story of the writer Frank M. López and his wife, who has multiple sclerosis. We also have the letter of overcoming of Ramón Arroyo, famous Ironman affected by the disease and protagonist of the film 100 metres starring Dani Rovira, or the letter of reunion of a teenage love Gerardo García, president of AEDEM, written by his wife, Lola.