The magic of Barça reaches children in hospital
The FC Barcelona men’s first team players visited several children’s hospitals in the Barcelona area as part of the club's annual initiative run by the FC Barcelona Foundation. The visits form part of the Polseres Blaugranes (‘Barça Wristbands’) programme, through which professional teams from across the club’s different sports visit hospitals throughout the season to offer support and encouragement to children who are undergoing treatment.
The main aim of these visits is to bring joy, hope and positive emotions to boys and girls who are going through particularly difficult times. Over the course of the season, all of the club’s professional sections (basketball, handball, futsal and roller hockey) as well as Barça Atlètic and the youth football team, take part in these solidarity actions and in Foundation projects as part of the Nadal tot l’any (‘Christmas all year round’) campaign.
These visits to children’s hospitals bring a large dose of Barça magic to young patients suffering from illnesses, some of them very serious. The medical community agrees that experiences like these have a very positive impact on patients’ morale and can help them cope better with their illness and, in some cases, even improve their prognosis.
The blaugrana delegation, headed by Institutional Vice-President Elena Fort and Board member Josep Ignasi Macià, together with the Foundation’s CEO, Dr Marta Segú, and FC Barcelona Foundation trustees Josep Puigdollers and Sergio Montaner, set off around midday from the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in several coaches to visit the different hospital centres.
In total, the players visited seven hospitals (Sant Joan de Déu, Vall d’Hebron, Germans Trias i Pujol, Hospital de Barcelona, Sant Pau, Parc Taulí and Hospital de Terrassa), two accommodation centres for families from outside Barcelona and/or Catalonia whose children are undergoing long-term cancer treatment (Casa Xuclis and Casa Ronald McDonald) and, for the first time, a paediatric neurorehabilitation centre (Institut Guttmann).
The surprise and joy of the children when Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Pau Cubarsí and their teammates appeared in their rooms made for a truly unforgettable moment. The players took photos and handed out gifts to the children in an atmosphere of warmth and closeness, a genuine form of therapy for these youngsters. Health professionals stress that encounters like these allow children to experience very positive feelings and emotions, which help them cope with demanding medical treatments and support their recovery process.
Symbol of solidarity
The Barça wristbands were also very much present, having become a symbol of the club’s solidarity with those who are suffering the most. Through this programme, initiatives are promoted in collaboration with paediatric hospitals in Catalonia and around the world, with the aim of making care more humane and supportive for children and young people with serious illnesses, according to the needs identified at each hospital, as well as in home-based palliative care.
The centres visited by the players are as follows:
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu / PedriL, Lamine Yamal, Eric, Fermín
Hospital de la Vall d’Hebron / Ter Stegen, Rashford, Kounde, Tommy
Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol (Can Ruti) / Cubarsí, Jofre, Bernal, Joan Garcia
Hospital de Barcelona / Lewandoski, Dro, Hansi Flick
Hospital de Sant Pau / Szczesny, Roony, Marcus Sorg
Hospital Parc Taulí / Balde, Gavi
Hospital de Terrassa / Dani Olmo, Gerard Martín
Casa Xuqlis / Ferran, Marc Casadó
Casa Ronald McDonald / Frenkie de Jong, Christensen
Institut Guttmann / Bernal, Joan Garcia
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