Luxembourg Marks Rare Disease Day with Illuminated Iconic Buildings, Awareness Campaigns

Luxembourg will be lighting up some of its flagship buildings as part of Rare Disease Day, an international awareness day held annually on the last day of February.

This Friday 28 February 2025 marks the 18th Rare Disease Day, a day celebrated in more than 100 countries to raise awareness about rare diseases and their impact on the lives of those affected.

A rare disease is defined as one that affects fewer than one in 2,000 people. There are more than 6,000 different rare diseases, with approximately 5% of the global population living with one. In Luxembourg, this represents around 30,000 individuals. Many of these diseases are genetic in origin, chronic and progressive. About 70% of rare diseases have a paediatric onset. Rare diseases significantly impact the quality of life and can shorten life expectancy.

The non-profit organisation ALAN - Maladies Rares Luxembourg, which supports people affected by rare diseases, has announced that it is launching several initiatives aimed at raising awareness and understanding of these diseases.

According to a press release, the project "Daily Distortion", a collaboration between ALAN and artist Yannick Tossing, seeks to raise awareness of rare diseases, with a focus on Huntington's disease, which has inspired the artist. The project's launch will be celebrated with a reception and an exhibition of Tossing's sculptures on 28 February 2025, in the presence of Martine Deprez, Luxembourg’s Minister for Health and Social Security.

For the project, the ethical and eco-responsible t-shirts created by Yannick Tossing will be produced by the Kräizbierg Foundation. “The designs on the t-shirts are illustrations inspired by Yannick Tossing's sculptures, which are based on his personal experience with Huntington's disease in his family. The illustrations reflect the challenges of using everyday objects distorted by part of these objects,” said ALAN in its statement.

Another key feature of Rare Disease Day is the "Global Chain of Lights". As part of this initiative, numerous iconic public buildings in Luxembourg will be illuminated in blue, pink, green and purple during the last week of February, including the Philharmonie, the Belval blast furnaces, the headquarters of Spuerkeess and several town halls and hospitals.

Moreover, ALAN and its partners are raising awareness through a social media campaign and awareness days at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL; 27 February) and the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (CHEM; 28 February).

IK