donates the money raised in the tournament “3×3 Memorial Miquel Garriga Martinez” to sarcoma research group of the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge.
Miquel Garriga Martinez was passionate about basketball and played in the QBasket Sant Cugat. He was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma and after battling the disease, Miquel died on September 29, 2013. His friends and teammates decided to pay him homage through his favourite sport and the Club organized a 3×3 tournament in his memory the last 28 and 29 June.
The goal of the tournament, besides remembering Miquel, was to raise money to donate to the fight against this cancer. Ewing sarcoma is the second most common bone cancer affecting children and youth. Currently, if diagnosed on time and no metastases can be cured in 80% of cases but between 25% and 30% of cases are diagnosed when there is already metastasis and poor survival to 30%.
More than 250 players participated in the 3×3 memorial at all levels, from mini (8 years) to senior in both male and female.
On Friday November 14th, the family of Miquel and a representative of San Cugat Basketball Club made delivery of the amount raised in the tournament and in particular contributions later, to the head of the research group in sarcomas, Oscar Martinez-Tirado. “These 585 Euros will go directly to our main project that is based on finding a new therapeutic approach through nanomedicine to treat Ewing Sarcoma specifically” explained the researcher who also thanked the efforts and generosity of Miquel’s family and friends. The director of the IDIBELL, Jaume Reventós, has also expressed his appreciation and added that “Initiatives like these give meaning to our work.”
Miquel’s parents have expressed their gratitude to the friends of their child and the sport organization “for organizing this tournament because you’ve shown what kind of person you are and what kind of person Miquel was” said Miquel Martinez, father of Miquel. Montse Garriga, Miquel’s mother, hopes that “this bit we have made today will serve to help other children and young people who suffer the same disease as my son.”
As explained by the President of the QBasket Sant Cugat, Kike Sanchez “this is the most important day in the history of our organization that was created with the goal of having a social function in our social setting” and thanked the parents of Miquel for let them organize the tournament in his memory.