MADRID, 16 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The ex-cyclist Miguel Indurain delivered this Friday to the Clínica Universidad de Navarra the stationary bicycles that will allow a study to be carried out to improve the motor and emotional recovery of boys and girls with cancer, valued at 6,000 euros contributed by Banco Santander, of which five times winner of the Tour de France is an ambassador.
Indurain handed over the exercise bikes paid for with the check obtained in the last edition of the ‘La Indurain’ cycling march, on account of the solidarity challenge proposed between Miguel Indurain himself and his Sports Santander teammate Javier Gómez Noya.
“The average speed achieved by the two Banco Santander ambassadors in the test found the figure that will now be used to launch a study to improve the motor and emotional recovery of children with cancer through exercise bikes connected to the famous video game of ‘Mario Kart'”, Banco Santander explained.
The award ceremony took place at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra itself, with the presence of professionals from the Hematology Service, Banco Santander and Miguel Indurain himself.
The director of the Department of Corporate Social Responsibility of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pilar Lorenzo, thanked Banco Santander for its commitment to the fight against childhood cancer and its commitment to a project that pursues the objective of “not only curing, but curing well “.
The territorial director of Aragón, Navarra and La Rioja of Banco Santander, Javier Gallardo, stressed that the bank’s activity is carried out “in society”, to which they do not want to “turn their backs”. “We want to return part of what it contributes to us, and for this reason, fulfilling the Mission entrusted by our entity to support people and Society, we support initiatives like this one”, he valued.
The study by the Hematology Service of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra wants to evaluate the effects of this rehabilitative therapy on patients, as explained by Amaya Oroz, a nurse in the Cell Therapy Area of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra.
“We project the Mario Kart video game on the wall of the living room and the faster the pedaling speed of the bicycle is, the more the car advances in the video game and what would be the handlebars of the bicycle is, in reality, a console controller with which the patient can control the car in the video game,” he argued.
The study will focus on cell therapy and on patients who have been diagnosed with leukemia. These patients will be able to use the bicycle before receiving the transplant and after, so that the progress of the person’s condition can be identified over time.
Exercise bikes belong to the Dualebike company and, as they are portable devices, they can be easily used and removed from the place. In addition, there is no age limit to use the bicycles. So, “now we are using this new form of rehabilitation in children between the ages of 6 and 18, but if the results of the study are positive, we will be able to expand the age range so that more patients benefit from this therapy,” added the Dr. Andrea Urtasun, pediatric oncohematologist at the clinic.