Video message by President von der Leyen at the 4th Cancer Survivors Congress “Full of Life”

Dear Sandra Ibarra,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Few moments are as life-changing as hearing the words “cancer free”. You know it well. I know it too. As a medical student, I spent countless nights on duty in the pediatric oncology ward. I will never forget a young girl I met there. This small, resilient girl beat cancer. And today, she is living a full, healthy life.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Too many still suffer the cruelty of this disease. Every year, around 2.7 million people in the European Union are diagnosed with cancer. And prevalence is increasing. That is why we have placed the Beating Cancer Plan at the very heart of our European Health Union, backed by 4 billion € from the EU4Health programme. To support patients and their families at every stage of this difficult journey. To prevent cancer, to detect it early, to improve diagnostics and treatments.

The good news is that today, more people are surviving cancer than ever before. And we must help them live beyond it. That is why we have built a Europe-wide network of young cancer patients and survivors. Because for young people, this battle is often particularly hard. And it cannot be that former cancer patients pay higher insurance premiums. Or struggle to get mortgages. That is why the right to be forgotten is so important. I welcome the progress made by our member states on this. And we will not relent in our efforts at the EU level. To support patients and families through the disease. And to support survivors through the rest of their lives.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

That is what this Congress is about. Ensuring that all patients and all survivors can live their lives to the fullest. Lives of dignity, joy and opportunity. I thank you for this vital work. And I wish you a successful and inspiring congress.