Three months to go around France on a recumbent tricycle to support the associations of the Greffes+ collective, this is the challenge that Gilbert Guillerm has set himself. Thus, he will proudly wear the Green Ribbon, the emblem of organ donation across 6,000 km.
This Friday, June 9, Gilbert Guillerm, a 62-year-old experienced cyclist, went to Tarbes on the occasion of his tour of France to promote organ and tissue donation.
This solitary act, he does it for his son Maxime, who died in 2014. It was following this tragic event that this dad became involved in organ donation, choosing to donate those of his son. He wishes today to recall the importance and the necessity of donations and wishes to inform and sensitize the general public to this cause.
Gilbert Guillerm./ Photo Charlotte Sauvignac
“The hike will be solitary, and wherever possible, I will meet the associations of the Greffes+ collective. Together, we will carry out communication actions with the population, in relay with the press. explains Gilbert, talking about his project.
Tour de France map./ Photo Floriane Relea
His arrival took place in front of the town hall of Tarbes accompanied by members of the association France ADOT (Federation of Associations for the Donation of Organs and Human Tissues). All of them came to communicate the difficulties they face due to the lack of donors.
“Everyone knows about the donation but nobody applies the law, when someone dies the doctors always question the family, but one in three families refuses to donate the organs” warns Gilbert.
He therefore advises us to think about our choice of donations as soon as possible and to inform our loved ones. Indeed, even if 5,900 transplants are performed each year, more than 27,000 people are currently waiting for a transplant and around 1,000 people in need die each year.