Getxo (Bizkaia), June, 10.- The SENER Foundation is sponsoring the BrusELAS Expedition ‘Desafío Bruselas’ organized by the Dale CandELA association, which will depart by sailing boat on Friday June 11 from the Real Club Marítimo del Abra, in Getxo, and will end on June 21, World Day for the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), at the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels.

In total, 1,300 kilometers will be covered in 10 days. The first leg of this journey will be carried out sailing to La Rochelle, in a rally organized by the Real Club Nautico del Abra and which have already registered several boats that will accompany the expedition. The second leg will be done by bicycle and the final leg to the headquarters of the European Union will be on foot.

The objectives of this march, which will be carried out by non-motorized means of transport (sailing boat, bicycle and on foot), are several: to present a manifesto at the European Union to request the support of the institutions for research into the disease; to raise awareness of the importance of speeding up the approval of drugs and clinical trials; to give visibility to the disease; and to raise funds to help families without resources who suffer from it.

The day to day of the march can be followed through the social media channels of the association Dale CandELA on Facebook and Instagram.

‘Desafío Bruselas’ is part of the ‘5 Shouts’ initiative that has been carried out for several years by the ALS associations Dar Dar, Saca la Lengua a la ELA and Dale CandELA. This challenge is the 4^th shout with which they intend to continue to be a loudspeaker for the disease.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS) is a disease of the central nervous system, characterized by a progressive degeneration of motor neurons, brainstem and spinal cord. The consequence is muscle weakness that can progress to paralysis. It threatens motor autonomy, oral communication, swallowing and breathing, although the senses, intellect and eye muscles remain intact. The patient needs more and more help to perform activities of daily living, becoming more dependent. In Spain alone there are 4,000 people with this disease and around 900 cases are diagnosed each year.