This April 23, Sant Jordi, IDIBELL continues to carry out research that changes lives and, once again, citizens can also participate. Reversing the institute’s motto, “Research that changes lives”, the campaign “Reading changes lives” is launched, which proposes a different way of living the Diada de Sant Jordi: promoting the reading of solidarity books that are born from the personal and direct experience of patients and relatives of patients with various types of diseases that are researched at IDIBELL. These books will be allocated, in part or in full, to different lines of research at the Bellvitge Health Campus.

Three solidarity books with a lot of history

The three works that star in the campaign are:

• “De la foscor a la llum”, by Montserrat Loba. A book born as a personal therapy, which seeks to be a lighthouse for other patients. A series of stories lived by Montse, a survivor of a rare and very aggressive type of pancreatic cancer (duodenopancreatic cancer), who shares her brave testimony to try to help other people in a similar situation. In her words, “Suffering from this disease is a very hard experience that, at the same time, has influenced and motivated me to write this book and thus be able to try to help. There are cases in which the disease is so serious that we do not even dare to name it, but… She does not hide, she does not look at anything, neither age, nor sex, nor personal circumstances. And it’s called CANCER. We have to face it, because we are brave and we stand up where necessary“. Currently, Montse is still very proactive and has an Instagram profile where she shares her experience in the fight against cancer, trying to raise money for cancer research in a thousand different ways. Participation in this initiative is an example of this.
  • Available at the Rúbrica bookshop (El Prat del Llobregat). Montse will be signing books on Sant Jordi’s Day in Cambrils.

• “Fin: tu corres, tots correm. Maratons per canviar vides”, by Delfí Vilaseca. More than a book about sport, this book is about the ability to overcome. Delfí narrates his personal experience, from the first to the 30th marathon he has run, sharing his experiences and making a powerful parallelism between sports and our daily lives. Running as a metaphor for perseverance, overcoming and managing our limits, “because, at the end of the day, we all run our own race: the race of life,” he remarks. In addition, beyond that, and given that a family member and a close friend are pancreatic cancer patients, the money raised with this book will go, in its entirety, to the pancreatic cancer research of Meritxell Rovira, leader of the research group on Pancreatic Regeneration at Delfí has already raised more than €6300, and is still looking for ways to raise more money for biomedical research.
  • Available in several bookstores (La Finestra Lectora, La Central, Agapea…) and platforms (Amazon). Delfí will be signing books on Sant Jordi’s Day in Vic (11 am), Manresa (4 pm) and Puig-Reig (6 pm).

• “Bajo la piel del monstruo”, by Ester Iranzo. Co-published by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Martorell Hospital Foundation, this is a sincere testimony of living with an eating disorder (ED) that offers hope and realism. The book was born from the need to transform pain into a useful tool and a response to a personal concern: “I asked myself: what would have helped me in those dark moments? And for my family, what would have given them hope?” explains Ester. Her objective is clear: “I only hope that my work can give the necessary support to patients with eating disorders and their environment, especially when it is difficult to understand the disease and it seems that there is no way out“.
  • The book will be presented Wednesday, April 21, at 12 noon, in the auditorium of the Fundació Hospitalàries Martorell (Av. Comte Llobregat, 117, Martorell). It can be requested from either of the two hospitals that have co-published it.

Commitment to biomedical research

The differential feature of this initiative is its direct impact on laboratories. The authors have decided to give the profits from the sales, in part or in full, to finance different lines of research of the Bellvitge Health Campus, turning each book into a tool to improve the health and well-being of society. Delfí and Montse’s books can be purchased on Amazon or in several bookstores, while Ester’s can be ordered from the Bellvitge University Hospital or the Martorell Hospitalàries Foundation.

About IDIBELL

The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a research centre created in 2004 and specialising in cancer, neuroscience, translational medicine and regenerative medicine. It has a team of more than 1,500 professionals who, from 73 research groups, publish more than 1,400 scientific articles a year. L’IDIBELL is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Health Institute, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona and the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.

IDIBELL is a member of the Campus d’Excelencia Internacional of the University of Barcelona HUBc and is part of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centres accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the HR Excellence in Research program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL has been an Accredited Centre of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).