This year, Estonian Television’s annual holiday telethon Jõulutunnel (‘Christmas Tunnel’) will be lending a helping hand to cancer patients and joining forces with the cancer treatment foundation ‘The Gift of Life’.

The foundation remains active thanks to donations and has supported more than 1000 people who have been diagnosed with cancer since 2014, helping them receive the life-saving treatment they need. In the foundation’s seventh year of operations, telethon viewers will also be able to offer their support by calling in and giving the gift of hope and the possibility of a longer life or even a return to full health.

“The Hille Tänavsuu Cancer Treatment Foundation carries a hopeful message – the gift of life,” said Jõulutunnel host and producer Margus Saar. “It does remarkable work with volunteers all year round in support of cancer patients, but coronavirus has complicated things this year and forced them to cancel a number of events and activities. “With the telethon, we’re offering our support for the foundation’s message: giving the gift of a longer life and better quality of life.”

According to Toivo Tänavsuu, the founder and a member of the management board of ‘The Gift of Life’, the foundation has helped around 150 people this year, the youngest of them under 30 years old. “Many of the people we help are young mothers and fathers who have little kids at home,” he explained. “There are lots of people who need our help and who want to live. This year, more money has consistently been going out of the foundation than has been coming in. With the donations from Jõulutunnel, we will ensure all of our patients a peaceful end to 2020, with life-saving treatment, hope and the chance to live longer surrounded by the people they love.”

The Jõulutunnel lines are open!
Dial 900 4005 to donate 5 euros
Dial 900 4010 to donate 10 euros
Dial 900 4050 to donate 25 euros

Jõulutunnel will air on ETV on 25 December. ETV+ will also be involved in the telethon this year. The telethon will be starting Christmas Day with a morning special, while the evening’s live broadcast will feature music fit for the holidays, uplifting encounters and inspiring stories. The show will be hosted by Katrin Viirpalu and Margus Saar on ETV and by Andrei Titov on ETV+.

Jõulutunnel has been running on ETV since 1999. Over the years, thousands of people have received help via the telethon: viewers have supported the purchasing of important medical equipment and a variety of other causes.