"I take on this role with great responsibility and enthusiasm". These were the first words of María del Carmen Gómez Fabra at her official presentation as president of the AECC (Spanish Association Against Cancer) in Mijas. "I really wanted to do it, but before, due to my work situation, I didn't think it was the right time. I'm still active, still working, but I think the time has come to help people directly, dedicating all my time to them", she added.

A committed businesswoman, María del Carmen has extensive experience in administrative and human resources management within the hospitality sector. Beyond her professional life, she has always maintained a very close relationship with the Spanish Association Against Cancer, continuously collaborating both personally, as a volunteer, and professionally, as a socially conscious businesswoman.

Among her most immediate objectives, the new president highlights the creation of a local headquarters in La Cala de Mijas, a space that will bring the association's services and programmes closer to the entire population. "We want to be closer to patients and their families, offer support and promote prevention, including among the large foreign community living in the area", she explained.

 

Support

Numerous neighbours, family members, and representatives of Mijas' social and business sectors, especially from La Cala, accompanied Mari Carmen Gómez at her official presentation, which took place on Friday morning at the La Cala Branch Office. "I have always tried to help everyone who has asked me for something. We have many acquaintances and friends, and I believe we can do great work because we need to join forces from all sides", said Gómez, who was pleasantly surprised by the large turnout. "It has been very moving and exciting. I am not alone, and so the AECC in Mijas is going to achieve something great. We deserve it", said the president.

Among those in attendance were representatives from the Town Hall, led by the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), and from the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Malaga, as well as numerous other organisations.

The mayoress of Mijas congratulated her and said that "Mari Carmen will be a president who will be very locally focused and will work to ensure that all preventive initiatives reach each and every part of Mijas and that all the social initiatives represented by the AECC are highly visible in our municipality". She also highlighted "the great work" carried out by the Spanish Association Against Cancer in caring for those affected and their families. "The work carried out by this organisation is not only worthy of gratitude, it is also very necessary because it reaches places that public administrations often cannot. That is why having a new president today is great news for everything it means for Mijas", said Mata, who also highlighted the collaboration between the Town Hall and the AECC, which last year received two grants (for lymphedema treatment and the performing arts) and with which it collaborates in organising activities.

 

During his speech, Joaquín Morales, the president of the AECC in Málaga expressed his gratitude to María del Carmen for taking on this commitment and conveyed a message of support and trust: "It is a great satisfaction to have people like Mari Carmen, who are so involved with their municipality and with the association's mission. Her energy, experience and spirit of solidarity will be fundamental in continuing to grow the AECC in Mijas. From the provincial headquarters, she will have our full support to achieve her goals. The truth is that we are very excited about her", Morales emphasised.

Both the association and its new president in Mijas have the backing of other institutions such as the Idiliq Foundation, which every year, through various campaigns, raises funds for the AECC and, above all, for research into the disease. "We are close to this association, which is very important, and we are very happy and proud that this is happening in Mijas, a town so large that it did not have its own headquarters or president until now. It's really wonderful", said Hernán Lara, ambassador for the foundation.

 

Bringing services closer

The creation of this branch aims to fulfil one of the association's main objectives: to continue offering free services to patients and their families in their own municipality. "We couldn't fail to have a presence in the AECC in a town that is the third largest in terms of size and population in the province of Málaga", said the president of the AECC Málaga, who stressed that "in the association we want to be close to the patient, so we need to have physical headquarters throughout the territory, so that we can provide our psychology, care, speech therapy, physiotherapy and nutrition services, because we have an extraordinary range of services that we want to make available to everyone".

Research and survival

Last 19th of October was Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The Spanish Association Against Cancer is asking us all to do our bit to support research, because this is the only way to win the battle against cancer and, they remind us, "no one is exempt from risk". According to the provincial president, Joaquín Morelos, "the highest survival rates are for breast and colon cancer because, according to the AECC, these are the most researched types of cancer, as they affect the largest number of people. In these types of tumours, survival rates reach 90% if diagnosed early, but there are other, rarer types, and I don't even want to mention the percentage".

The AECC's goal is to achieve an average survival rate of 70% for all types of cancer by 2030. "This is a very ambitious goal, but we are confident that with the help of all the authorities, civil society and, of course, all the volunteers who make up the AECC, we will support researchers, because they are the ones who play the leading role. We have to support research, because it is what will enable us to achieve these survival rates", concluded Morales.

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