Cannes Film Festival.”It was incredible”, 6 young people with cancer were invited by the association “Les Étoiles”

Six teenagers from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, affected by cancer, were able to experience the Cannes Film Festival thanks to the “Les Étoiles” association. A rare and unforgettable experience for these young people

“I said to myself: it’s a dream, it’s a dream. I’m going to wake up. In the end, I woke up and I’m here. On every street corner, you can meet stars. This n “It’s not every day that you can do that”explains Laly. “It brings out a little bit of what we experience every day, it changes and we’re among ourselves. It’s super nice”adds Faustine.

Arwen, Laly, Aedan, Faustine, Mathis and Swan attended the Cannes Film Festival thanks to the “Les Étoiles” association. Three girls and three boys, aged 12 to 16. They climbed the steps in ceremonial costume, attended screenings on the beach with their feet in the sand, met professionals from the 7th art, visited the film market… their week on the Croisette was busy for these six young adolescents from Auvergne Rhône-Alpes.

Affected by cancer or leukemia, they have been followed for several years at the Institute of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology in Lyon. A few weeks ago, we met them when they came to try on their evening outfits for the stairs. A fitting session in Lyon with their parents. But these young people were still far from imagining what awaited them on the Côte d’Azur. A real week of escape.

“What I liked best was going up the steps. It’s incredible. There are beautiful cars, lots of people. Not everyone can do that.” explains the 14-year-old, still impressed, as he wanders the aisles of the film market. “It’s an opportunity, it allows me to turn the page, to tell myself that it’s over and to tell myself that we can really live to the fullest,” assures Aedan. The 16-year-old teenager is the oldest of the small group.

“They spent long months in the corridors of hospitals, sometimes in sterile rooms, being isolated. Moments like that help them create bonds that children of their age are entitled to have and which they have been deprived”, explains Alexandre Blanc, president of the association. “We hope it fills them with energy to continue fighting.”

For the fourth consecutive year, the project “The Stars make their Cinema” allowed adolescents and children affected by cancer to experience an exceptional moment. They attended the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival as true VIPs.