Iconic heavy metal band Metallica has donated €40,000 to Associação Joãozinho to help build a new paediatric wing at the São João Hospital in Porto.
The donation was made on Wednesday, May 1 – the same day that the band performed in front of thousands of fans at the Restelo Stadium in Lisbon.
The money came from part of the profits of the band’s ticket sales and was donated through Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation, created in 2017 “to assist and enrich the lives of members of the communities who have supported the band for years, as well as encourage participation from fans and friends.”
The construction of a new wing for children with cancer at São João hospital has been in the pipeline for 10 years but has yet to begin. Children battling cancer are treated inside temporary ‘containers’ instead of comforting hospital facilities.
In hopes that it would bring them some joy, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spent last Christmas with the children in the containers.
Although the construction of the new ward is promised before the start of 2020, Observador newspaper reports that the children’s parents doubt this will be the case due to the endless delays that have stalled the project.
At the very least, Metallica’s donation has brought the issue back into the media spotlight.
