The Hellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association receives awards for its successful actions aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with Cystic Fibrosis and their families in Greece, as well as raising public awareness of the disease.
The institutions of the awards encourage us as patients and caregivers – patient representatives – to offer our voluntary work with greater professionalism!
Teva Humanizing Health Award 2023 for the Helpline
The Teva Humanizing Health Award 2023 was won by the Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association for the creation of the first Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Helpline “Unlimited Breath”.
The Helpline provides not only psychosocial support to the community of sufferers, to those directly or indirectly affected by the disease, but also information to the general public about the disease for the first time in Greece.
Teva, through its Humanizing Health program, awarded 6 Non-Profit Organizations for their actions in the field of health.
This social initiative of Teve recognizes, promotes and rewards new actions in the health sector that will improve the daily life and quality of life of patients. As every year, the winners were chosen by Teva employees, who voted for the projects that were rewarded.
Gold Healthcare Award 2024 "Unlimited Breath - Be a life donor"
The Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association was awarded for the second time for the campaign “Unlimited Breath – Be a life donor”, winning the Gold Healthcare Business Award 2024 in the category “Information & Awareness”, winning 1st place out of 14 Patient Associations.
The awarded actions of 2023 included a new mural at Tzaneio Hospital with Stella, a real patient with Cystic Fibrosis, the only one in Greece who has undergone not once but twice a lung transplant, claiming for the second time the right for a second chance at life. Also, a video spot was created and a musical concert was held to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and organ donation in September 2023 in the Municipality of Korydallos with the youth band “48 Hours”.
The campaign is supported by the President of the Republic and the Onassis Foundation and is under the auspices of the National Transplantation Organization, the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center and Tzaneios Hospital.
The award was dedicated to the struggle of patients waiting for the 2nd chance for life and to those who fought for their breath and did not succeed, with the promise that the Association continues the fight for Unlimited Breath and 2nd chance for life for all patients with Cystic Fibrosis, but also for every patient with respiratory disease. Read more here .
Bronze Healthcare Award 2023 for the Psychosocial Support program
The Hellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association was awarded for its psychosocial support program “Unlimited Breath”, with the Bronze Healthcare Award 2023 in the category “Patient Associations, Member Support / Education Activities” at the Healthcare Business Awards 2023.
The awards were organised for the 8th year by Boussias Events and Health Daily.
The Association’s psychosocial support programme includes psychological support groups for adult Cystic Fibrosis patients and their carers, online monthly support coffee breaks and a guide to benefits and entitlements on the Association’s newly revamped website.
Warm thanks to Dr. Dipl.-Psych. Stavroula Rakitsi for the voluntary implementation of the psychological support groups of the Association.
At the award ceremony held at the InterContinental Athenaeum Athens Hotel, more than 400 representatives of the pharmaceutical market, the academic and scientific community, charitable organizations and patient associations gathered to honor the high distinctions of contribution to Health, Science and Society for the past year.
The Evaluation Committee was chaired by Mr.Nektarios Tavernarakis, Vice President of the European Research Council (ERC), Chairman of the Board of Directors of FORTH, Professor, University of Crete Medical School, Member of the Board of Directors of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, while the committee was composed of pharmaceutical market executives, consultants, patient associations, leading physicians and academics, as well as representatives of institutional bodies, etc.
Prix Galien Patient Initiative Award 2021 for the revolutionary treatment that "freezes" the disease
The Patient Initiative Award 2021 was won by the Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association in the category “Best Effective Negotiation of Patients’ Association with Stakeholders“, rewarding the method of approach and cooperation with stakeholders (Ministry of Health, EOPYY, health journalists, scientific companies).
The Prix Galien Greece 2021 event was held at the Zappeion Hall in the presence of representatives of the health sector, politicians, the Deputy Minister of Health, pharmaceutical companies and Patients’ Associations. The Prix Galiena awards are the Nobel Prizes for Pharmaceuticals, an important institution that recognizes significant work in the field of pharmaceuticals.
In October 2019, the innovative Kaftrio treatment that “freezes” the disease, which affects 90% of Cystic Fibrosis patients worldwide, was approved in the US. The PRIX GALIEN GREECE 2021 award came in recognition of the pivotal role played by the Hellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association, which exerted pressure and in April 2020 launched in Greece the early access program to the revolutionary treatment. Thanks to the programme, the lives of 30 critically ill Greek patients were saved and the groundwork was laid to start access to treatment for all eligible Cystic Fibrosis patients in Greece.
Behind the honorary award of the Association were months of efforts of a large group of determined Cystic Fibrosis patients and parents, who defied the prognosis and against all predictions set a lifelong goal to achieve the unattainable. With the successful fight, the Cystic Fibrosis patients have proven that patients and their parents can not only lead the way, but also take the lead, take their salvation into their own hands.
Gold Healthcare Award 2016 for the campaign "Each breath"
The Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association received the Gold Healthcare Award 2016 in the category “Patient Associations, information/awareness/prevention actions” for the creation of the first awareness campaign for Cystic Fibrosis “EACH BREATH”. The HealthCare Business Awards ceremony was held on Friday, September 9, 2016, to highlight and reward business excellence, innovation, development initiatives and best practices of companies, institutions and organizations in the healthcare industry.
The creation of the awareness campaign entitled “EACH BREATH – a step closer to our dreams”, was launched by the Hellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association in 2012, with the aim of making the disease, which was completely unknown until then, known to the general public.
As part of the campaign, the patients themselves spoke publicly about their disease for the first time. At the same time, the e-shop for donations to the Association was organized, bicycle rides were held in Athens and Thessaloniki on the occasion of the World Cystic Fibrosis Day, a musical concert was organized to raise awareness and information booths on the disease were set up by the Association.
The patients themselves, as the inspirers, creators, protagonists and executors of the campaign, dared to expose themselves in public and for the first time publicly share their stories and inform the public about the invisible disease of Cystic Fibrosis, the most common hereditary disease.
Silver Healthcare Award 2021 "Unlimited Breath - Be a life donor"
The Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association was awarded for the successful campaign of transplantation and organ donation “Unlimited Breath”, with the Silver Healthcare Award in the category “Patient Associations, Awareness / Actions for Information / Awareness / Prevention” at the Healthcare Business Awards 2021 of Boussias and Health Daily. The initial actions of the campaign were the lighting of the building of the Greek Parliament, a TV spot, a mural at the hospital of Nikaia Piraeus “Agios Panteleimon” with the story of an 18-year-old transplant patient and an online challenge. The actions of the campaign are supported by the President of the Republic and are under the auspices of the National Transplantation Organization and the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, resulting in the tripling of organ donor registrations in the EOM Registry in 2021.
The award was dedicated to the memory of the late Secretary General of the Association and CF patient, Vassilis Palios, who fought for transplants until his last breath, with the promise that the Association will continue the fight for Unlimited Breath and a second chance for life for all patients with Cystic Fibrosis, but also for every patient with a respiratory disease. Here the video of receiving and dedicating the award to the deceased Vassilis Palios by the President of the Association, Anna Spinou.
The ceremony was attended by more than 300 representatives of the pharmaceutical market, the academic and scientific community, charitable organisations and patient associations, while a large part of the actions were related to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Chairman of the Jury of the Awards was the Academician and former Prime Minister of the country, Mr. Lukas Papademos.
