A fundraising event to help Catarina Santos, a 12-year-old girl who became paralysed from the neck down due to a gymnastics accident two years ago, will take place on June 11 (Saturday) at Portimão’s riverside.
Money raised will go towards a €50,000 operation that her family believes “could restore a large part of her mobility” and help her walk again.
The event, entitled ‘Cidade Solidária – Vamos ajudar a Catarina Santos’, will begin at 9am and end at midnight.
A packed agenda is planned, including a “cultural walk, Zumba dancing and Yoga classes, sports demonstrations, musical and theatre performances and even health screenings”.
Anyone can take part in exchange for a cash donation. The more people give, the more chances they will have of winning prizes including “hotel stays, lunches, beauty treatments, hampers filled with regional products, and boat rides on the Arade River”.
Catarina was a gymnast with Clube Recreativo e Desportivo Brasileiro-Rouxinol, based in Corroios, Seixal, when a freak trampoline accident in 2014 paralysed her from the neck down.
The youngster received treatment at the Centro de Medicina de Reabilitação de Alcoitão, but after four months at €400 per day, her family could no longer afford the expense.
Catarina’s mother, a physiotherapist, has been forced to quit her job to care for her daughter on a full-time basis. The family is also renting a disabled-friendly home, which has added further to their monthly bills.
For more information on how you can help, visit http://catarinasantos.org/ (available in English).
