Toulouse: “ELA needs donations to save children who die of indifference”
For 3 decades, the ELA association has been fighting against leukodystrophy. She needs donations to support research.
Gérard Pollet is the ambassador of the ELA association in Occitanie. The latter invests against leukodystrophies which are a set of genetic diseases that present the “white matter” of the brain. This disease mainly affects very young children and causes irreversible damage.
Father of five children, Gérard Pollet in one lost two, carried away precisely by metachromatic leukodystrophy. The latest disappearance being that of her daughter Ingrid, well known to TFC supporters since she had given four kick-offs at the Stadium, between 2002 and 2006. Ingrid passed away on November 16, 2019, at the age of 32 years old. To honor his memory, on February 21, his brother Victor kicked off the TFC-Le Havre match, along with Franck (whose brother Anthony died 5 years earlier). Previously, Gérard Pollet had lost his son Christophe, who died on May 12, 2001, at the age of 14. Among his three other children, two are spared from the disease (Olivier and Maya) and Victor is a healthy carrier. “but he can pass it on, just like me,” says the father.
The latter wishes to underline the exceptional partnership established with the TFC, the day after the death of his son. “At the time, the goalkeeper, Christophe Revault, was the main architect of this partnership. It was he who opened all the doors for me,” says Gérard Pollet.
This year, the EL Association celebrates its 30th anniversary. For three decades, she has fought tirelessly against leukodystrophy by supporting research and the severely endured families. “Through the loss of my children, the important thing is to be able to move forward in spite of everything to go towards the healing of all the other children on the planet”, continues the ELA ambassador.
In the South West, nine children lost their lives after contracting this genetic disease. “It’s about Ingrid and her brother Christophe, Anthony, Romain, Téo, Geoffrey, Florian, Jérémy and Hervé. “Last Monday, Gérard Pollet wanted to honor their memory “because through them, we want to remind that we must continue research and in particular gene therapy. For this, we need donations to save children who are dying in general indifference”, found Mr. Pollet.