In his recorded message at the open of the 22nd annual TV marathon, Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano emphasized, “Even if Italian families are currently under pressure with anxiety for the contribution they are called upon to give in the nation’s collective efforts, their sensitivity and solidarity will certainly find a way to show itself through taking part in the RAI-Telethon marathon.”
And this is the way it was, a result once again proving the attention of Italians to supporting initiatives that, aside from being transparent and credible, have a social mission that touches the most sensitive people in the deepest part of their souls.
The fund-raising ended at 8 p.m. on Sunday 18 december having raised 30,040,000 euro.
To ensure the success of the TV campaign, RAI (Italian public broadcasting) put forward all of its communicative power and knew how to best use the testimonies of the “Telethon Heroes”, giving maximum space to researchers, family members of the ill and volunteers, bringing many highly emotional stories to the viewers.
Another fundamental element for continuing to have Italian popular support was, after 21 years of Telethon research, the achievement of the first therapeutic results and the progressive passage from basic research results to phases closer to cures. These are successes that the global scientific community ascribes to Italian Telethon, something to be proud of and a record in this sector involving rare genetic diseases, of great complexity, but of limited interest to the private and public health care systems.
Satisfaction for the results obtained, thanks to exceptional commitment from all supporters of the Telethon cause, can be found in the words of the Foundation’s president, Luca di Montezemolo who said, “I have always believed in the intelligence and generosity of Italians. Faced with images of sick children we have seen during the marathon, all other considerations are set aside and the great heart of our fellow citizens emerges. Thank you, thank you all for your great or small heroic gestures for those who really need them.”
