A group of children affected by various oncological diseases will have the chance to experience the magic of Barça on 7 and 15 February, during the men’s team match against Mallorca at the Spotify Camp Nou and the women’s team match against Eibar at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. On both occasions, they will walk out onto the pitch hand in hand with the players in a charity initiative organised by the FC Barcelona Foundation to mark International Childhood Cancer Day, celebrated on 15 February.

For a few hours, hospitals, gruelling medical procedures and illness will take a back seat as they live out a dream that many children never get to experience, meeting their idols in person and feeling the thrill of walking out onto the pitch alongside the players, sharing smiles and moments of connection, and watching the match live. For most, this will not just be about football, but about feeling like any other child again: chatting about the result, singing along with the Barça anthem and getting caught up in an experience that allows them to escape thoughts of their illness for a while.

This dream is made possible by the involvement of all the players, the work of the Foundation, and Barça’s social commitment, as the club once again supports this charitable initiative.

Actions such as these provide children living with serious illnesses with a powerful dose of Barça magic. Over and above this immersion in barcelonismo, several studies also suggest that positive experiences like this, outside the hospital environment, help to reduce the stress and anxiety associated with such challenging life events.

This initiative forms part of the Blaugrana Bracelets program, which aims to improve the emotional wellbeing of seriously ill children and young people in hospital, as well as that of their families throughout their battle with illness. The program focuses on creating warmer, more welcoming environments in hospitals, fostering emotional support and helping make their experience more bearable.

The Blaugrana Bracelets program is carried out in collaboration with paediatric hospitals in Catalonia and worldwide, reaffirming FC Barcelona and its Foundation’s commitment to supporting society’s most vulnerable groups.

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