The family of Ozelot, the artistic name of Fernando Valero Casanova, recently visited the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) to present the funds raised through the artist’s literary and musical work. Representing the family were his sister, Patricia Valero, and his father, Ángel Valero.
The €10,000 donation was presented on 27 November and will be allocated in full to support sarcoma research, led by Dr César Serrano, medical oncologist and Head of the VHIO’s Sarcoma Translational Research Group.
Fernando Valero, diagnosed with sarcoma during adolescence, he fought the disease for 12 years—an experience that deeply shaped his artistic work.
Despite limited public exposure, Ozelot became a reference figure for many rap artists in Spain and Latin America. Trained as a physician and a rapper by profession, he wrote most of his lyrics in private. He explored themes such as emotions, time, illness and life.
His family has sought to keep his solidarity legacy alive by donating all proceeds from his music and literary work to Sarcoma research.
The book Ozelot, which brings together many of the artist’s reflections and texts, remains on sale via his website, in bookshops in Granada, and on Amazon.
“My brother was an example and a role model for everyone, and thanks to his artistic legacy we can contribute our small part to Sarcoma research,” explains Patricia Valero.
Thanks to the first edition of the book Ozelot and the income generated by his music, more than €9,000 was donated in 2022. This contribution made it possible to launch an innovative project within the VHIO’s Sarcoma Translational Research Group. This project focused on the development of new Sarcoma models. This work has been fundamental to advancing disease knowledge.
With the second edition of the book and the funds raised over recent years, the family has donated €10,000. This reinforces their ongoing commitment to Sarcoma research.
Dr Serrano notes: “Thanks to Ozelot’s first edition, we initiated a research project to generate new sarcoma models. Now, with this donation, we can move forward with more effective treatments for this disease. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and support.”
Sarcoma is a rare cancer type that originates in bone, muscle or connective tissue. It accounts for approximately 1–2% of all cancers. There are more than 70 different subtypes, making it a highly diverse and complex disease.
From a biological perspective, some sarcomas are caused by specific genetic alterations, while others present more complex genetic changes. This diversity explains why sarcomas can evolve very differently from one patient to another and why they require personalised treatment strategies.
Research conducted by the VHIO’s Sarcoma Translational Research Group focuses on gaining a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of the disease to identify biomarkers and develop new treatments, with the aim of improving diagnosis, treatment effectiveness and patients’ quality of life.
At the VHIO, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the family for their generosity and trust. We hope Fernando’s music and literature will continue to inspire research into this disease.
