Tomorrow Tuesday, the Palmeiras/Meltex basketball team reverts all revenues from the game against Universo/Goiânia to help 16-year-old palmeirense Lucas Neres Pereira undergo a lung transplant in Toronto, Canada.
Lucas, who lives just outside Brasilia, was born with a serious illness – an aggressive kind of bronchitis. At an early age he had his left lung surgically removed and his right lung is operating at only 25% capacity, forcing Lucas to carry an oxygen tube 24/7.
Only in Canada could Lucas receive the medical treatment allowing him to lead a more normal life. The procedure, which includes a lung transplant and close monitoring in hospital for an extended period of time, is however very expensive.
The hard conditions under which Lucas lives have made headlines before. In early 2013 he featured in the local news, triggering the generosity of many people and, not least, the local branch of the Palmeiras supporter club Mancha Verde: not only were funds raised but many improvements were made to the simple house where Lucas lives with his family.
All in all, the equivalent of roughly US$ 300.000 is needed for Lucas to travel to Canada and have his surgery. In order to contribute, you can make a donation:
Bank: Caixa Econômica Federal
Branch: 0973
Account: 766405-5
Account holder: Irani Neres Santana (Lucas’ mother)
Another way of contributing is of course attending tomorrow’s basketball game: as mentioned before, the Palmeiras/Meltex initiative is linked to the fundraising campaign, with game tickets at R$ 10,00 (US$ 4) a piece and revenues going straight into the fundraising pot.
Take a deep breath – because you can – and consider your possibilities to contribute. Every single real will make a difference.
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ANYTHING PALMEIRAS 