By Juliane Deslisle-Pye, Y13
The CF Marchethon is a sponsored walk or run which takes place every year in six cities across Switzerland in order to raise funds for people affected by cystic fibrosis. The walk or run took place during the week of the 24th of October and participants were free to carry it out whenever and wherever they wanted during that week, as opposed to the usual run which is normally preceded by a commute to Lausanne with all of the participants. The marchethon that LGB students take part in had to be modified in order to comply with this year’s COVID regulations.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease which impacts the functioning of the lungs as a result of regular infections and a progressive loss in the ability to breathe. The main issue with this disease is that it doesn’t have a cure and requires a range of costly treatments to help appease the symptoms; the annual cost for health care treatment for the disease ranges from 9,000CHF to 30,000CHF, depending on the severity of the symptoms.
The funds raised by the marchethon are used to help people in Switzerland with the disease to manage the expense of the treatment. This year, despite the fact that the event was virtual, 60 LGB students participated and were able to collectively raise around 8,000CHF! Students raise this money by obtaining as many sponsors as possible and collecting donations in this manner. This requires commitment to the cause and allows people to raise awareness about the disease.
Participants had the choice between a 5km walk or run and a 10km run and had the possibility to go to the mountains or wine orchards or simply take the opportunity to take a stroll by the lake. Some participants chose to do this on their own or with their family, while some took the chance to enjoy a hike with friends.
The fact that the event could be done individually and without the commute to Lausanne made it much more accessible to students, and thanks to Mrs. Kretzmeier and Graham Trask (Y13) students were more than happy to participate. Nevertheless, there were about half as many participants this year as there were in 2019, but students still managed to raise two thirds of last year’s total raised sum.
LGB students have been contributing to the CF marchethon since 2013, when only two teachers and one LGB student participated. Since then, it has only been growing; from 29 participants in 2014 to 125 participants in 2019 and 13,000CHF raised.
We hope to see these numbers increase even more in the following years and trust that LGB’s students will continue to demonstrate their engagement with this cause.
