On December 2, 2022, the 36th edition of the Telethon will take place, an event to mobilize and call for donations for rare diseases, created in 1987. This year, the sponsor is comedian Kev Adams. What is the Telethon? For what disease? How to make a donation ? How much raised?
Since its first edition in 1987, the Telethon is a charity event that gives the AFM-Téléthon association (the French Association against Myopathies) the means to continue its fight against genetic diseases. “Genetic diseases were destroying the lives of our children and our families. To fight them, we had nothing: neither means nor treatments. There was no question of resigning ourselves and we created the Telethon. We wanted to give life to research that did not exist. We wanted to revolutionize medicine. Year after year, thanks to your faithful support, we have succeeded” explains Laurence Tiennot-Herment, president of the AFM-Téléthon on the event website. Friday December 2, Kev Adams, Sophie Davant, Nagui, Cyril Féraud, the families, researchers and the teams of France Televisions will give, from the studios of Lendit (93), the kickoff of the Telethon 2022! 30 hours of celebration on France Télévisions and everywhere in France, testimonials, laughter, sharing and conviviality, a unique television marathon thanks to which a real revolution in medicine is underway. In parallel, several events take place as every year and in particular the LoveRuna race at the Stade de France.
What is the Telethon?
Since its first edition in 1987, the Telethon is a charity event that gives the AFM-Téléthon association (the French Association against Myopathies) the means to continue its fight against genetic diseases. Every year during the first weekend of December, this exceptional mobilization brings together 5 million French people, 250,000 volunteers and 70 national partners, including overseas. This outpouring of solidarity allows each of us, through donations and fundraising, to help research, to unite around patients and show them our support.
The donation line: 36 37
In 2021, the French Association against myopathy (AFM) mobilized around the theme The strength to heal in resonance with the strength of the families who fight daily against the disease, but also of the researchers, volunteers, doctors, donors and partners of the Telethon. The donations collected during the Telethon will be used in particular for research on gene therapy. an innovative treatment which allows, thanks to a single injection of a “gene-drug”, to stop the natural evolution of rare diseases of the blood, muscle, skin, brain, vision, liver (myopathy muscle, spinal muscular atrophy, Fanconi anemia, etc.). To accelerate the development of treatments for rare diseases, AFM-Téléthon has created its own laboratories:
- Genethon : one of the world leaders in gene therapy for rare diseases, from research to clinical development.
- I-Stem : the largest French research laboratory on stem cells and cell therapy for monogenic diseases.
- Institute of Myology : the European reference center where research, evaluation and medical consultations on muscle and its diseases are carried out.
Who is the sponsor of the Telethon in 2022?
In 2022, comedian and actor Kev Adams is the sponsor of the Telethon, he succeeds the singer Soprano who was the sponsor of the Telethon in 2021. On December 2 and 3, Kev Adams will be alongside the sick, the families, researchers and thousands of volunteers all over France, to support the fight against rare diseases led by the AFM-Téléthon. “You cannot imagine how touched and proud I am to take on this role. The Telethon set was one of my first TV shows. It was in 2009, I was super impressed but already very proud to be there“, he recalls. Many personalities have already been sponsors of the Telethon: Matt Pokora in 2020, Jean-Paul Rouve in 2019, Zazie, Garou, Patrick Bruel, Franck Dubosc, Gad Elmaleh, Anne Roumanoff, Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte, Yannick Noah, Pierre Perret, Alain Delon…
What are the diseases concerned by the Telethon?
The cli testsevents financed by donations from the Telethon concern rare diseases of the muscles, vision, blood, skin and brain such as: spinal muscular atrophy, congenital muscular dystrophies, muscular glycogenosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Charcot’s disease, Steinert’s disease, inflammatory myopathies, autoimmune myasthenia…
What are the dates of the 2022 edition of the Telethon?
In 2022, the Telethon will take place from December 2 to December 3, 2022.
It was in 2006 that the counter reached its highest level, with 106,696,532 euros.
Telethon broadcast
Each year, the Telethon program brings together the sponsor of the event, artists, hosts from France Télévisions, researchers and doctors who take stock of the progress of research, but also families of patients who testify to their daily. She is broadcast on France Télévisions from Friday evening to Saturday night, live. The idea came from the United States where a charity television marathon had existed since 1966. In France, two dads whose sons have Duchenne muscular dystrophy had the idea of adapting this American concept and managed to convince France 2 ( Antenna 2 at the time) in 1987the year in which the first French Telethon on television.
Connected Telethon: also, the cameras of France Télévisions will be installed in 4 cities in France: Dijon (21), Lorient (56), Guebwiller (68) and Cassis (13). We will find there the traditional culinary or sporting challenges, and a new challenge: in a lake, a river, at sea, or in their bathtub, everyone is invited to take part in the deep bath of the Telethon, the red thread of the 2022 edition!
To make a donation, three possibilities:
- By telephone on 3637 (free service + price of a call) from Friday 6 December at 8 am.
- On the Internet on the Telethon 2021 website
- By mail : AFM Telethon – BP 83637-16954 Angoulême Cedex 9.
Note that you can deduct from your taxes 66% of the amount of your donation (within the limit of 20% of taxable income). For example, if you donate 100 euros, you will only pay 34 euros after the 66% tax reduction.
What is the history of the Telethon?
- 1986: Inspired by an American concept invented in 1966 by the actor Jerry Lewis, the Telethon was created in France by Bernard Barataud (President of the AFM) and Pierre Birambeau (Director of Development), two fathers whose sons suffer from myopathy.
- December 4, 1987, the first Telethon is broadcast on Antenne 2 live from the studios of Radio France. For 28 hours, Michel Drucker, Claude Sérillon, Gérard Holtz and Jacques Chancel take turns on the air with godfather Jerry Lewis. The collection of donations reaches more than 175 million francs.
- Since this first editionthe Telethon allows associations, sports federations and businesses to get involved by organizing cultural and sporting events in the towns and villages of France.
- In more than 30 years of Telethon, many battles have been won: the publication of maps of the human genome used by researchers around the world, the development of innovative therapies (gene therapy, cell therapy, pharmacogenetics), the first results of gene therapy for diseases of the immune system (baby-bubbles), the improvement in the quality and life expectancy of patients thanks to appropriate medical care and support…
- Thanks to donations collected during the 2019 edition, a gene therapy drug incorporating technology resulting from research carried out at Généthon was available for very young patients suffering from the most serious form of spinal muscular atrophy. This treatment incorporates technologies resulting from his research, and has obtained marketing authorization in the United States for spinal muscular atrophy. Authorization also obtained in 2020 in Europe and Japan.
- The counter for the 2021 edition displays 74 million euros in pledges. Last year, the Telethon raised just over 77 million euros. This edition was marked by the health crisis and was organized in full confinement. “Usually, there are 12,000 municipalities that participate in the Telethon, or one in three, 250,000 volunteers and 5 million French people. The vast majority of these animations are prevented today“, lamented Laurence Tiennot-Herment, President of the AFM-Téléthon organization. It was in 2006 that the counter reached its highest level, with 106,696,532 euros. That year, the sponsors were Gérard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte.