The Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association participated in the 3rd Conference “Gift & Bridge of Life – From Dialysis to Transplantation”, which took place on 17-18 May 2025 in Thessaloniki. The conference was organized by Socrates Karasavvidis, founder of the DonriZo Foundation, under the auspices of the National Transplantation Organization (NTO), the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki, the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Municipality of Sintiki, with ERT3 as communication sponsor.
During the Conference, distinguished scientists, health professionals, representatives of the State, associations and organizations, as well as donor and recipient families, contributed substantially to the promotion of organ donation as a universal act of responsibility, humanity and life.
The President of our Association, Anna Spinou, addressed the opening of the Conference, highlighting organ donation as an act of life, solidarity and hope, especially for patients with Cystic Fibrosis, for whom lung transplantation is often the only way of salvation.
Watch the short video of Anna Spinou’s speech: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmlDJv3dE5g
“Transplantation is not just a therapeutic option – it is a survival solution, a second chance at life. And everyone deserves that chance. When patients join forces with knowledge, faith and cooperation, they can change the landscape,” said Anna Spinou.
The President of our Association referred to the cooperation of our country with the AKH Transplant Centre in Vienna, which allowed for the first time in 2014 Greek patients to undergo lung transplantation through a transnational agreement – a possibility that did not exist previously in Greece. As he pointed out, this cooperation was not self-evident. It was the fruit of constant effort, dialogue and perseverance and a great victory for all patients with lung diseases.
He also mentioned the development of the National Lung Transplant Program in Greece, which started in 2020, as well as the Association’s “Be a Life Donor” awareness campaign for organ donation, with murals in hospitals.
As part of the campaign, two large murals of real Cystic Fibrosis patients were created:
- The first, at the General Hospital of Nice, with Lena Polychronis, who spoke on the second day of the Conference about her experience as a transplant patient with C.I.
- The second one, at Tzaneio Hospital, starring Stella, the first patient with Cystic Fibrosis in Greece who underwent two lung transplants.
These murals carry the message of a second chance at life and are a constant reminder of the struggle of patients and the value of organ donation. Placed in hospitals, where critical life decisions are made every day, they touch the very core of medical practice and raise awareness among the pool of potential organ donors – patients, caregivers, health professionals and citizens.
Learn more about the “Be a Life Donor” campaign: https://www.cysticfibrosis.gr/draseis/kabanies/be-a-life-donor-campaign/
The Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association, through institutional interventions, information campaigns and strategic partnerships, remains firmly committed to the fight for more donors, more transplants and more lives saved – not only for patients with Cystic Fibrosis, but for every person who needs a second chance at life.
Become an organ donor with one click here: https://www.eom.gr/ethniko-mitroo-doreas-organon-kai-iston/
