On November 9, 2026, La Poste will issue a sheet of three stamps to mark the 40th edition of the Téléthon (taking place December 4–5, 2026), with a €2 donation to the AFM-Téléthon included in the purchase price.
It began on December 4, 1987: thirty hours of live television dedicated to rare diseases conditions entirely unknown to the general public at the time. This first-ever Téléthon in Europe launched a grand collective journey, spanning the human, scientific, and medical realms. Since then, millions of people have taken part in the Téléthon each year: volunteers organize events across France; thousands of municipalities, associations, and schools mobilize; companies get involved; and countless donors provide their support.
These four decades of struggle, boldness, innovation, and extraordinary solidarity have brought rare diseases out of the shadows, establishing them as a public health priority. They have also marked a shift from medical helplessness to the development of pioneering treatmentstherapies that are transforming the outlook for conditions long considered incurable and, ultimately, saving lives. Thanks to the Téléthon, the AFM-Téléthon has funded nearly 10,000 research programs and supported more than 5,000 researchers. It has also established three laboratories Généthon, I-Stem, and the Institute of Myology that stand at the forefront of therapeutic innovation. Four decades after the inaugural Téléthon, a true medical revolution is underway!
Patients and their families also benefit from dedicated support, structured care pathways, and information services as well as rights that had to be fought for, and for which the fight must continue. The Telethon demonstrates that by joining forces, we can transform indignation into action, hope into scientific progress, and solidarity into lives saved. It is this collective energy that, for nearly forty years, has made it possible to pursue a single goal: to find a cure.
