A great show of solidarity for the charity auction of the shirts worn by the Palermo players against Catanzaro on 17 May, featuring a special commemorative patch dedicated to Alessia, the young rosanero fan who passed away at just 8 years old after spending much of her life fighting cancer. By the end of the auction, the initiative had raised over €10,000, following more than 1,000 bids placed in around one week through Palermo’s official eBay channel.
The proceeds from the initiative will be donated to ASLTI ODV – Liberi di crescere, the Sicilian Association for Childhood Leukaemia and Tumours, with the aim of ensuring that the collective embrace shown to Alessia continues to become a concrete gesture of awareness and support for all the “Alessias” who, together with their loved ones, fight their own battle every day.
Among the most sought-after shirts in the auction, which received the highest bids, one in particular was donated today by the winning bidder to the Palermo Museum, thus becoming part of the memorabilia preserved at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. It is a testimony to the embrace of the rosanero community for Alessia, which now becomes part of the story told by the museum’s permanent exhibition, visited every year by thousands of people from all over the world.
Active since 1982 at the Paediatric Onco-Haematology Unit of ARNAS Civico in Palermo, ASLTI works every day alongside children affected by cancer and their families, offering free support services throughout the treatment journey. The Association’s activities include support in the ward and Day Hospital, play therapy, pet therapy, recreational activities and psychological support programmes for young patients, families and volunteers. ASLTI ODV also runs the “Case ASLTI”, completely free accommodation apartments for families from outside Palermo who need to stay close to their children during treatment, as well as “NAVETTAMICA”, a free transport service through which volunteers accompany children and one family member from home to hospital and back, helping families face treatment with greater peace of mind.