Michelle Boucoiran was, for over thirty years, a nurse at the Antoine Lacassagne Center in Nice.
Very involved in her daily work at the hospital, Michelle now dedicates her life to improving the living and working conditions of all those involved.
Can you introduce us to the association “Les Amis de Lacassagne”?
The association “Les Amis de LACASSAGNE” was established in July 2012. It continues an initiative conducted within the activities of a Neighborhood Committee, which for a decade produced Charity Concerts under the label “Musi’CAL” and donated the majority of the proceeds to the Antoine LACASSAGNE Center for cancer research. Unfortunately, despite its noble causes, this community (neighborhood committee) effort did not survive.
Having worked professionally for more than thirty years at the Antoine LACASSAGNE Center, I decided to take the leap, create the “Les Amis de LACASSAGNE” Association, and dedicate the proceeds from our initiatives to fund equipment awaited by the Services to improve the reception and comfort of hospitalized individuals. The management at the Antoine LACASSAGNE Center provides a wish list from the Services; requests that would be challenging, if not impossible, to budget strictly within the healthcare establishment’s administration. With this goal in mind, we strive to meet these expectations through the events we produce and the revenue collected.
The Les Amis de LACASSAGNE Association now has over 60 members. A Board of Directors comprised of 8 volunteers leads it, all engaged to varying degrees in the specialties necessary to achieve our mission. Our communication, which admittedly remains our weak point, relies primarily on the goodwill of the media that relay information about our events; which is often difficult, except for a few, including NICE-Premium, along with broadcasts sent to our contact lists and the website “amiscal.fr” that we have maintained since October 2015, which our Webmaster strives to keep engaging to prevent user fatigue.
A word of note is that our sponsor is none other than Mr. Richard GALLIANO, who you always dedicate beautiful articles to, including yesterday’s piece.
Are you no longer focused today on organizing concerts?
At the General Assembly in 2014, we modified the association’s purpose, moving slightly away from Music to broaden our range of events to new possibilities, immediately opening the way to an Art Auction, organizing Flea Markets, and even later, a Petanque competition, although this was canceled due to terrorism and the required security measures imposed by authorities.
What actions have you achieved, thanks to the Amis de LACASSAGNE, in the past?
Over these initial years, we have managed to provide the Algology Service with a treadmill, the Chemotherapy Service with MP3 players, the Radiology Service with mini stereo systems, the Sophrology Unit with tablets, Medicine Services with magazine subscriptions, anatomical cushions, and dormeuses to place in day hospital rooms and cubicles, and finally equip the Algology Department with an interactive kiosk.
Our efforts were focused in 2015 and 2016 on a new Service that has been operational since the second half of 2016. This unit, dedicated to Pediatric Proton Therapy, is located on the Cyclotron site. An initial contribution allowed the acquisition of specific anesthesia equipment. Among the unmet needs are childcare equipment, facilities for family rooms, and spaces for waiting or playing indoors and outdoors, as well as ensuring educational follow-up for children during treatment periods. In 2016, we continued our efforts by providing materials worth €22,836, presented at our General Assembly on the 4th, which included:
For Proton Therapy:
– A transport ventilator with “RESPI” function
– A pediatric stretcher
And, intended for the A4 Surgery Service:
– A shampoo basin on a stand
– A hairdryer
– Two “Médiven” sock aids
– 12 “Signal” folding chairs
– 12 shower seats
What is your agenda for this year 2017?
The years 2017 and 2018 will be devoted to the rehabilitation of the tunnel connecting buildings A and B of the Center, separated by Avenue de Valombrose. To this end, we have secured the participation of the Nice-based artist Sylvie T, whose project has just been approved by the institution’s management. This involves creating a journey through the Nice region on the walls and ceiling of this fifty-meter passageway. It will feature representations of the city’s architectural heritage, enhanced by some of our town’s remarkable landscapes, culminating in the final stretch with a vegetated wall, transforming the space into a woodland setting, punctuated by bird songs.
Who are you collaborating with to achieve these projects?
To meet this ambitious goal, besides Sylvie T, we can count on the participation of the Lions Club Nice-Étoile and the Center’s primary suppliers. We have also initiated a “b” procedure to launch a donation campaign, although the Administration is slow to approve our application submitted almost a year ago.
Nonetheless, our pride chiefly lies in the amount donated to the Antoine LACASSAGNE Center, with close to €50,000 collected for the Center since 2012, alongside a manifestation return rate of over 90%. This inventory includes 4 parallel events organized as part of the institution’s fiftieth-anniversary celebration in 2011, contributing an additional €6,000.
What events will you host to realize this goal?
We are currently working on establishing the event calendar for 2017 and 2018, which is shaping up as follows:
Events dedicated to the tunnel rehabilitation (scheduled or being scheduled).
