L'univers divers', the IRBLleida's first book to raise awareness of minority diseases

L'univers divers' is the first book published by the Institute of Biomedical Research of Lleida Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida) to make visible, raise awareness and change the way we look at the world of rare diseases. The profits from the sale of the book, which can now be purchased in bookshops and also physically at the IRBLleida for €10, will go to research into minority diseases carried out by IRBLleida researchers.

The author of the book is Alba Bellart Castellví, a teacher and speech therapist from Tàrrega. Bellart is the mother of a daughter with a minority disease and is concerned about finding better answers for this type of pathology. "I wanted to write this book as a therapeutic tool to transmit everything I know about the subject, so that the lives of people and their families can be filled with more hope," explained the author. "Thanks to the purchase of this copy, you will contribute to the advancement of an integrated approach and a commitment to research", she added.

The book, which is aimed at children aged six to twelve, explains that the pupils of a primary school celebrate Saint George's Day and hold a literary competition dedicated to rare or infrequent diseases. Each year, from first to sixth grade, produces a different story, but with a common denominator, since all the protagonists have a disease of this type. The illustrations in the book are the work of the author's daughter, Nuria Usón Bellart.