Maria Olaru joins the program developed by MedLife for children with cancer and donates an important medal as a sign of hope

The multiple gymnastics champion, Maria Olaru, has donated her European gold medal won together with her team in 1998, in Russia, in Sankt Petersburg, for children diagnosed with oncological disorders. Her impressive gesture supports the free genetic testing program, #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer, developed by MedLife, the largest private medical services network in Romania.

Maria Olaru is the second world champion, after David Popovici, who joined a large-scale social initiative meant to bring hope and strength to those who go through the most difficult time of their lives due to pediatric cancer. The story of the medal and the reason for the donation are presented in a touching video produced by AV HIVE.

"This medal is part of my sport history and it is a recognition of my work. The thought that this small contribution may bring hope fills me with pride and gratitude. It's very important that we never give up before starting a fight. Hope for me is a bold act of imagination. I want to believe that they are bold and that they have the courage to hope to get better. They should tell themselves daily: I can, I want, I will not stop here and nothing can defeat me", Maria Olaru (in opening picture), Olympic Champion and Ambassador of Hope within our program talked about her generous gesture.

"We were profoundly impressed by Maria Olaru's gesture to proactively join our program. In addition to an Olympic Champion, we have discovered a champion of hope, a special human being, as resolute as all of us here at MedLife to pull together to change the concerning statistics in Romania with regard to the survival rate among children diagnosed with cancer. Her choice is a symbol of solidarity and hope for a better tomorrow, and our program of free genetic testing is developed in the spirit of this idea, offering children who were recently diagnosed with cancer the possibility to benefit from targeted therapies and, therefore, to have another chance at life " declared Ina Ilie-Bădărău, Communication Manager, MedLife.

The gold medal will be melted and transformed into 100 gold bows, a symbol of the fight against paediatric cancer. These will be offered to the children declared in remission for long term, which is equivalent with healing.

#SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer is the first and only free genetic testing program for children with oncological disorders, with national coverage, entirely supported by MedLife. This program offers patients access to one of the most advanced sequencing tests, which analyses over 523 genes associated with various cancer types.

Until now, over 200 children were enrolled in this free program to improve therapeutical success. The enrolments continue for patients aged between 0 and 18 years, who were recently diagnosed with oncological disorders. The enrolment can be made directly by filling in a simple form by a parent, legal guardian or the child's attending physician. The results of the tests will provide oncology physicians with essential information to establish customised treatments according to the genetic profile of each patient.