Marianna V. Vardinoyannis – A Humanitarian Leader
A leader in the field of humanitarianism, social solidarity, and human rights on an international level. A great benefactor and philanthropist, she wrote her own chapter in the hearts of children with cancer and their suffering families.
She envisioned a better society and dedicated her life to change it, to make the world better, and above all, the world of children with cancer. For Marianna Vardinoyannis, access to health was the ultimate right of every child.
She fought for it and offered her love through tangible actions. As the president of the “ELPIDA – Association of Friends of Children with Cancer” from 1990, she established the first and only Pediatric Oncology Unit in our country.
Her vision was embraced and recognized by all Greeks, and her actions gained international respect. In 1999, she was declared a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO, expanding her efforts in culture, education, and human rights with international networking. Her work received the highest international recognition for humanitarian contribution and she received the “Nelson Mandela 2020” award from the United Nations. She is the only Greek woman to have been honored with the Grand Cross of the Order of Beneficence of the Hellenic Republic in 2020, and recently, UNESCO honored her 25 years of contribution to the organization in a special ceremony held at its headquarters in Paris. This was also her last public appearance.
She knew how to inspire courage, and it’s not coincidental that even the toddlers when they saw her from their rooms, would run to her and call her by her first name. Her signature, along with the signatures of the world’s greatest leaders, accompanies the most significant resolutions and the most powerful calls for Health, Peace, Sustainable Development, the survival of the planet, the protection of the vulnerable, and the fight against poverty, for the right to education, and for the protection of children.
The legacy of Marianna Vardinoyiannis’ work is significant. The first Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and the first Pediatric Oncology Hospital in the entire country, a hostel for families coming from other regions, the first Cellular and Genetic Therapy Center in Greece, and the VISION OF HOPE initiative aimed at increasing the number of bone marrow donors in Greece and ensuring that Greeks in need of bone marrow transplants can finally find compatible donors easily and free of charge. All of these were her visions and goals that, with determination, perseverance, and above all, love for humanity, became a reality.
A devoted wife and mother, not only to the five children she had with Vardis Vardinoyiannis, but to all the children who were saved thanks to her philanthropic work. She was born in Ermioni, Argolis, the daughter of Georgios and Evangelia Bournaki. An excellent student, she completed her secondary education in Piraeus and then studied in the United States. At a very young age, she met and married Vardis Vardinoyiannis, who was then a Naval Officer. As a young mother, she visited her husband, who was in exile as a resistance fighter, on the island of Amorgos. When a child recovered, she took pride in them as if they were her own. When they didn’t, she mourned in the same way.
From 1990 until today, over 1,100 children have fully regained their health, thanks to her vision. With the infrastructure she ensured existed in our country, more children will be treated in the future without the need to go abroad to receive the proper care they once did. In the beginning, both she as the founder and the other women who accompanied her in ELPIDA faced ridicule: they were referred to as “society ladies with fancy dresses.”
“Sensitivity is not a matter of financial status,” she replied.
The way she managed her life, and the trials, showed a strong, dignified, patient, compassionate woman who never tired and gave her love with all the strength of her soul. She never complained and never blamed anyone. As a perfect wife and mother, Marianna
