European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Mr Vytenis Andriukaitis, visited the “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis-ELPIDA” Children’s Oncology Unit on Tuesday, 5 February 2019, in the context of the official visit he is carrying out to our country.
He was greeted at the Oncology Unit by the President of the “ELPIDA-Association of Friends of Children with cancer” Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, the Director of “Agia Sofia” and “P&A KYRIAKOU” Children’s Hospitals, Mr. Manolis Papasavvas, as well as members of the Board of Directors of “ELPIDA” and “VISION OF HOPE.”
Also present was the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to our country, Mr. Rolandas Kačinskas, as well as Pulmonologist and Director of the Institute of Public Health of the American College of Greece, Mr. Panagiotis Behrakis.
Welcoming Mr. Andriukaitis, Mrs. Vardinoyannis thanked him for his significant initiative to visit to the Children’s Oncology Unit and to be briefed in detail on the manner in which the Unit operates. “It is a great honour and a great pleasure for all of us to welcome you to our Hospital. We welcome you as a guest with whom we share a common vision for the creation of a better world. Your presence here proves your unique sensitivity for children and your dedication to the fight against cancer” Mrs. Vardinoyannis stated.
Wishing to honour Mr. Andriukaitis, Mrs. Vardinoyannis awarded him with an honorary plaque of the “ELPIDA” Association and, together, they subsequently placed a star bearing his name on the “ELPIDA” Wall of Stars.
Mr. Andriukaitis thanked Mrs. Vardinoyannis for the great honour, stressing in his speech the great significance of the work of “ELPIDA,” while making special mention of the potential for collaboration in tackling childhood cancer: “I am very touched to be here. This is a very moving moment in my life. You truly are carrying out work of HOPE. Without hope, without love, we have no future. Hope, faith, and love have roots. And you do this splendid work, you are an example of humanity and ideals. We must come to realise our duty, we must know what we are capable of doing, and we must join forces. We have a good opportunity now to discuss the possibility of uniting in the European Reference Network.”
Immediately afterwards, Mrs. Vardinoyannis and Mr. Andriukaitis had the opportunity to discuss the potential for joint actions between the Children’s Oncology Unit and the “ELPIDA” Association with the European Commission in the context of fighting childhood cancer.
