On May 19th, the Casa de Brasil in Madrid became a hub of emotions, demands, and hope. Under the title “Strength and determination against breast cancer,” the Iberian diplomacy and business magazine Raia Diplomática held a conference that, beyond words, sought to build bridges between science, social activism, and the human perspective of those living with this disease.
The event, which began with a warm and welcoming reception, had a dual purpose: to highlight one of the most urgent health causes and to pay posthumous tribute to Vanda Catarina, co-founder and first public relations director of the publication, who passed away on May 21st last year as a victim of breast cancer. “Vanda was a brave, generous woman deeply committed to life,” recalled Bruno Caldeira, founder and director of Raia Diplomática, as he opened the event. “Today we not only remember her, but we fight so that her story drives real change.”
The creation of the Vanda Catarina Global Alliance platform, which will work on awareness, support for breast cancer patients, and also on autism and other causes.
Next September, the “Vanda Catarina Annual Open” charity golf tournament will be held between Extremadura and Portugal, raising funds for the breast cancer cause
The roundtable, moderated by Telemadrid journalist Erika Barreras, brought together four essential voices. María Luisa Sánchez de Molina Rampérez, a surgeon specializing in breast pathology, presented an ambivalent diagnosis: “The evolution of breast cancer science has been extraordinary in recent years. We are increasingly having more precise and less aggressive treatments. But there is still a great lack in terms of social support. The best medicine is useless if the patient feels alone or overwhelmed.”
Her words found an immediate echo in Montserrat Aranda, a lawyer and social rights activist. “Serious illnesses not only harm the body: they destabilize families and emotionally exhaust them. We need public policies that protect patients and their caregivers. And here, patient associations play a key role: pressuring political decision-makers to stop looking the other way.”
Science that advances, support that lags
Linda de Sousa, a visual artist and patient, spoke with the authority of someone who has looked the disease in the eye. “Being optimistic about breast cancer is not naivety; it’s a great advantage. It doesn’t mean denying fear or pain, but choosing an attitude every day that empowers you.”
For her part, Eva María Rivero, territorial delegate for Madrid of the Spanish Association of Metastatic Breast Cancer, was emphatic: “For us, scientific development is the foundation of patients’ future, and 80% of our fundraising is allocated to research. That’s why we demand more investment and more empathy from the system.”
The conference was masterfully moderated by Erika Barreras, journalist and presenter for Telemadrid, who encouraged the speakers with her assertive and approachable dynamic.
A commitment that goes beyond paper
The event concluded with the signing of a collaboration protocol between Raia Diplomática and the Madrid Association of Surgery, represented by its president, José Luis Muñoz de Nova, and with the announcement of an initiative that promises to keep Vanda Catarina’s flame alive: the creation of the Vanda Catarina Global Alliance platform, which will work on awareness, patient support, and also autism, another cause in the scientific, educational, cultural, and social action fields that the honoree held dear. Additionally, next September, the “Vanda Catarina Annual Open” charity golf tournament will be held between Extremadura and Portugal, raising funds for the breast cancer cause.
Amid glasses of Spanish wine and the murmur of those sharing stories, the night became tinged with commitment. Because, as one of the attendees recalled, “breast cancer knows no borders, but neither does solidarity.”
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