Back on the road

This weekend, we participated in a fair trade exhibition at the Bourse du Travail in Saint-Etienne. We were 3 local actors: Artisans du Monde, Association AYLLU and Peau-Ethique. It was a weekend rich in encounters and exchanges.

Hélène, a volunteer manager at the AYLLU association, told us about her daughter Claudine's journey, which moved us, and that's why we decided to talk about it today on our blog.

Claudine, a young teacher, meets Olivier, an engineer. A beautiful story begins, but a few months after they met, Olivier received the verdict: he has pancreatic cancer. During his therapy, Olivier reads with great interest the diary of a patient in remission, which allows those with cancer to travel. These are good moments of escape, when morale is often low. Olivier decides that if he recovers, he will travel to the four corners of the world to take over and continue publishing such a comforting diary. After 2 years of heavy treatments, Olivier is in remission. With the help of the Ligue contre le cancer and the Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes, the project is launched. Olivier and Claudine leave in February 2009 and travel the world, largely by bike, to allow us to travel through their little diary. Bravo for their courage and daring, in the face of sometimes difficult situations and climatic conditions. We invite you to visit their website www.anouveausurlararoute.fr to learn more about their destinations. To receive their monthly magazine, a minimum contribution of 35 euros is requested for a 10-issue subscription, 5 euros of which are donated to the Ligue contre le Cancer.

A great lesson in courage and solidarity. Thank you to this young couple for sharing, through their diary, a message of hope and support to patients and their families.

Good luck to Claudine and Olivier and see you next month for a new destination: Uzbekistan