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Date Published: 08/07/2022

Benidorm schoolboy with a rare disorder gets vital aquatic therapy thanks to recycled bottle tops

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Eight-year-old Leo from the Marina Baixa town, Alicante province, was born with an intestinal disorder called Hirschsprung's Disease

Benidorm schoolboy with a rare disorder gets vital aquatic therapy thanks to recycled bottle tops

An eight-year-old boy from Benidorm who was born with Hirschsprung's Disease associated with Down Syndrome, a rare birth defect that affects the colon, has been given 3,200 euros to continue with vital aquatic therapy thanks to recycled bottle tops.

The tops were collected and recycled as part of 'Caps for a new life', an initiative launched by the SEUR Foundation to raise cash for worthy causes.

And in Leo's case, 20 tons of caps were collected and recycled by recycling firm ATECO on behalf of SEUR, translating into 3,200 euros to "improve Leo's quality of life".

Hirschsprung's disease is a rare condition that causes stool to become stuck in the bowels and mainly affects babies and young children.

Leo, a pupil at the Mestre Gaspar López School in Benidorm, was given a cheque this week at a special presentation accompanied by his mum Isabel, the Mayor Toni Pérez, and president of the SEUR Foundation, Ramón Mayo.

The young boy's mum was delighted with the donation, and explained that "thanks to the treatment, Leo has improved a lot and gained muscle".

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Congratulating SEUR on the "success of the campaign", Pérez stressed that the cash will allow Leo to continue with aquatic therapy treatment at a centre run by the Association of Families with Special Children of the Province of Alicante (APNEA) at its facilities in San Vicente

"The Caps for a new life initiative shows how easy it is for society as a whole to get involved in important social and humanitarian activities," he said, adding: "We should all recycle and take care of the environment by making the simple gesture of saving plastic caps instead of throwing them in the rubbish bin".

The SEUR Foundation launched the initiative in 2011 and to date 6,542 tons of tops have been recycled, making it possible for 189 children across Spain to receive medical or orthopaedic treatment thanks to donations of more than 1.3 million euros.

In addition to helping needy children, the recycling of this plastic has prevented the emission of more than 8,300 tons of CO2. It would take 1.2 million trees over a whole year to achieve the same environmental benefit (equivalent to a forest covering 142 football pitches).

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Image: Ayuntamiento de Benidorm

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