"When a young person with a disability can take part in a running competition with healthy people, it fills them with the feeling of belonging," one of the mothers of the participants in the Charitable ADELI Mile confided to us with visible happiness.
On Friday, 1 August, the very first edition of the Adeli Hope Run charity run, organized by the ADELI Foundation and the ADELI Medical Center, took place in Piešťany. The aim was to do what is so important in today's polarized times: to actively bring people together and share common experiences. The event united hundreds of runners, families with children and people in wheelchairs - through movement. Everyone had a common goal: to meet, give hope and support their own community - those struggling with the consequences of an accident or a severe neurological disease.
A participation that surprised
On Friday evening, under slightly cloudy skies, more than a hundred participants from all over Slovenia and abroad took to the starting line. The audience consisted of over a thousand locals, tourists and spa guests, creating a cheerful and encouraging atmosphere. Radka Šulovská, Director of the ADELI Foundation, personally welcomed dozens of members of the ADELI Foundation Club, with whom the Foundation is in contact throughout the year, even outside of rehabilitation stays.
"We were at ADELI, thanks to you we can sit and walk. But we have to go back to the ADELI, because even at an older age, in the growth phase, a child with developmental delay needs training...", says another mother of a ten-year-old girl. Thanks to the intensive therapy at the ADELI, her daughter can prevent severe scoliosis, spasticity, stiffness, contractures and possible orthopaedic operations.
The route offered different distances so that everyone could participate - from professional runners to families with baby carriages. The running disciplines were preceded by a very special musical experience: the first lady of Slovak pop and rock & soul, Tina, invited Tomáš Hodosy, a non-walking boy with muscular dystrophy, to the stage. "We can grow" - was what rang out from their mouths over the Piešťanyer Lodenica, reminding us that every person, even those with the most severe disabilities, deserves access to medical care, rehabilitation and the best possible improvement in their state of health - and therefore their quality of life.
Pure emotion
A moving highlight was the Charitable ADELI Mile, in which clients of the ADELI Medical Center who are currently undergoing a rehabilitation stay took to the starting line. Despite their limited mobility, they mastered the course - tears of happiness and pride could not be overlooked.
A technological innovation from the ADELI Medical Center was also presented during the Charitable ADELI Mile - the HAL exoskeleton from Cyberdyne. The "robotic legs" were presented by Paula Münter, who greatly appreciates how the device forces her to perform movements correctly so that one day she will not only be able to walk independently, but also properly. Paula's observation is one of the most important rehabilitation goals at ADELI: to correct incorrect walking habits in neurological patients in order to make their gait as stable and safe as possible.
A run with a mission
The Adeli Hope Run is not just a sporting achievement. Every entry fee means concrete help for people who need intensive neurorehabilitation at the ADELI Medical Center . All proceeds from the entry fees - over 3000 euros - go towards the treatment of patients who cannot afford it financially. (Most patients do not receive any reimbursement from their health insurance).
Thanks to the supporters
The ADELI Foundation and the ADELI Medical Center would like to thank all participants, volunteers, partners and donors who contributed to the success of the first edition of the ADELI Hope Run.
Thanks to you, together we can change lives for the better and show that personal encounters, solidarity and movement are the way to change!
About the ADELI Foundation
The ADELI Foundation has been supporting patients with neurological diseases and after accidents for many years. It provides financial assistance for state-of-the-art rehabilitation and raises awareness of treatment options. If you would like to become a member of the ADELI Foundation Club, you can find out more here: www.nadaciaadeli.sk
Our therapy programs are individually tailored to the needs of our patients.
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