SMA Europe unites international voices in the new documentary ‘One Community. Shared Dreams’
As SMA Europe’s 2024 Awareness Campaign draws to a close, SMA Europe is excited to launch ‘One Community. Shared Dreams’, an impactful documentary that highlights the journey and efforts of the SMA community while fighting for a better future of all those living with SMA. Starting 1 August 2024, the campaign has successfully united the diverse generations and multiple stakeholders within the SMA community under a common goal: to create a better world for all individuals living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
SMA Europe is the European umbrella for national SMA patient organisations. Its core activities comprehend fostering patient-relevant research in the field of SMA, communicating the value generated from research, and consequently ensuring its future support. SMA Europe is unique in supporting cutting-edge scientific research on all aspects of SMA.
Research in SMA is vital. This is why, today, 31 August 2024, SMA Europe launches, ‘One Community. Shared Dreams’ – a documentary movie that showcases the stories, challenges, and triumphs of the SMA community. This documentary provides a powerful insight into the lives of those living with SMA and the ongoing efforts to improve their quality of life through research and advocacy.
The ‘One Community. Shared Dreams.’ Awareness Campaign underscores the importance of patient-relevant, transdisciplinary research and seeks to raise awareness about the unmet needs of those living with SMA. Despite existing treatments, the SMA community still faces significant medical challenges and unanswered questions that can only be addressed through dedicated research. The campaign counted on the support from different SMA patient organisations from around the world, including but not limited to Austria, Denmark, Indonesia, India, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Poland, Spain and Turkey, among others.
The campaign brings together SMA patient advocates and key opinion leaders from the research and science fields to highlight the unmet needs of the SMA community and the impact of ongoing and future research. Through strategic engagement, the campaign emphasises the necessity of continuous research efforts to address the shared dreams of a united, SMA community. SMA Europe defines the common dreams shared by all living with SMA and calls to action to support the research activities that ensure we keep reaching for the stars.
Patient and researcher collaboration: The campaign fosters collaboration between patient advocates and researchers, emphasising the importance of their combined efforts in addressing SMA-related challenges.
Raising awareness: By highlighting the ongoing unmet needs within the SMA community, the campaign aims to draw attention to the critical role of research in finding patient-relevant solutions.
Community engagement: The ‘One Community. Shared Dreams.’ Awareness Campaign engages the entire SMA community, including patients, families, carers, healthcare professionals, the industry and, last but not least, researchers, to work together towards common dreams and goals on an international level.
Following the 2024 Awareness Campaign, a spin-off campaign will run from September to December 2024. It will focus on SMA Europe’s research agenda, based on the top 10 unanswered questions identified through our Priority Setting Partnership project.
