On Saturday evening, the Colosseum was not only the eternal symbol of the Eternal City, but also the beacon of a battle that concerns everyone: the fight against pediatric cancer.
At 8:30 p.m., the monument was lit up with a golden ribbon, becoming a voice and light for thousands of children with cancer and their families.
The initiative, promoted by Peter Pan ODV as part of the international campaign “Accendi d’Oro, accendi la speranza” (Light up in gold, light up hope), transformed the heart of Rome into a universal message: every child has the right to the best care, regardless of where they are born.
A symbol that speaks to the world
The lighting was preceded by a solemn moment: the Banda Musicale della Guardia di Finanza played the Italian national anthem, reminding everyone that hope is a common good. Then the Colosseum was bathed in gold, illuminating not only the city, but also the stories, fears, and dreams of the more than 2,000 families who receive a pediatric cancer diagnosis in Italy every year.
Numbers that demand attention
In Europe, 35,000 children and young people receive this diagnosis every year. In Italy, the number is around 2,200, with a cure rate that now reaches 70% thanks to scientific research. But behind the statistics are faces, names, lives suspended between hospitals, journeys of hope, and the need to never feel alone.
For this reason, during Settembre d’Oro (Golden September), the new European Standards of Care for Children and Adolescents with Cancer, promoted by SIOPE and CCI Europe, were presented: guidelines that aim to ensure high-quality and equitable care throughout Europe.
Peter Pan ODV: a home that becomes a family
For over 30 years, Peter Pan ODV has been welcoming children and families to Rome who have been forced to leave their hometowns to undergo cancer treatment. It is not just a home, but a place of solidarity, offering psychological support, solidarity shuttles, rehabilitation, assistance, and activities that bring a little normality back into days broken by illness.
“Every child should have access to the best care, wherever they are born,” says Renato Fanelli, oncologist and member of the Peter Pan ODV ethics committee. “The light of the Colosseum is the symbol of this hope.”
Peter Pan exists to welcome children who move to Rome with their families for treatment. These children come from Italy and all over the world. Peter Pan provides them with free accommodation for the duration of their treatment.
Peter Pan’s goal is to never leave these families alone. To do this, it implements a model of hospitality that aims to counteract the tendency toward isolation, encouraging sharing, socialization, and mutual support among families. It not only provides accommodation, but also a range of activities and services to support families in managing the illness away from their home town (psychological and bureaucratic support, solidarity shuttles for travel, rehabilitation and home healthcare, schooling) and to bring back some of the normality that the illness has taken away (workshops, pet therapy, guided tours, parties, and entertainment).
Peter Pan was founded in Rome 30 years ago, in 1994, by a group of parents of children with cancer. Over time, it has gathered hundreds of volunteers and thousands of donors, and today it helps over 900 families.
Starting this year, 2025, Peter Pan is also extending some of its services to families with children and adolescents suffering from cancer who are not guests of its shelters but who live in Rome and the Lazio region. These are families who do not need accommodation but psychological and legal support and assistance with travel to treatment centers, which Peter Pan can offer them.
A light that stays on inside
The golden ribbon on the Colosseum is not just a symbolic gesture, but an invitation to look the disease in the eye and turn it into a shared struggle. Because hope, like the light that enveloped Rome on Saturday evening, knows no boundaries.
👉 To support Peter Pan ODV: www.peterpanodv.it
