The story – Sofia told her story through a post published on the association’s Instagram page. “On November 10, 2021 I discovered that the right atrium of my heart harbored an enormous mass of malignant tumor cells called cardiac angiosarcoma, a very aggressive tumor and currently considered to have a poor prognosis. Such a rare and absurd pathology, with a share of about 2- 3 cases per million inhabitants, so much so that I consider myself almost ‘lucky’ to have been affected by it. It took me several months to be able to pronounce that horrendous word without the trembling voice and without being hit by a shiver down my spine “he wrote the 23-year-old.
“I assume that my philosophy of life since I was a child, whenever something happened to me that made me feel unfortunate, or that I considered unfair, has always been ‘the tragedies in life are different’. Following the diagnosis and after being having declared the inoperability of my tumor, given the site and consequently the impossibility of removing the organ, it was more difficult for me to apply my philosophy.After an initial moment of anger and discouragement, I tried, between a cycle of chemotherapy and the other, to continue to lead as normal a life as possible, for the good and mental health of myself and my family. Life is already short and if mine is even more short, better enjoy it and do what it makes you happy,” he added.
“Always surrounded by the support of my parents, my sister Ilaria, my boyfriend Nicolò and my closest friends, I have lived my treatment journey in the most serene way possible. The disease has allowed me to experience sensations never known before, not only negative; to discover the personality and the profound sensitivity of some, unlike others who instead withdrew, not knowing how to deal with the situation, but who in any case I do not condemn. Today I am not here to complain about how much cancer does suffer or how unfortunate I was to be affected by it because unfortunately every day thousands of children, teenagers and young adults like me fight their battles hard”, stressed Sofia.
“I’ve always loved life, I loved filling my days with commitments and surrounding myself with positive people. I’ve never had regrets and thanks to the support and sacrifices of my parents I’ve always managed to do everything that makes me happy and makes me feel good Unfortunately fate prevented me from realizing all the projects I had in mind: becoming a doctor, getting married, having children, spending time with the people I love, going to see Sampdoria with my dad and my sister, travelling, looking after my parents in old age and growing old. The most agonizing and tormenting thought for me remains the fact that two parents will be left without their baby, a girl without her adored younger sister and a boy without the love of his life; I will never be able to find an excuse that gives me peace,” he continued.
Now Sofia’s “only and true” desire is to “make even just a tiny step forward in research and knowledge of an extremely rare disease such as cardiac angiosarcoma. Having affected me personally, I find it very difficult to remain indifferent; especially for all the people and families who have felt scared, abandoned and discouraged at the time of diagnosis, as happened to us. All of this is obviously fueled by the fact that I am a medical student and by my deep faith in research. It may not give great results, but I would still like to give it a try,” she explained.
“My dream would be that no one would ever receive a death sentence as happened to me and to all the people who have fought against the same disease. I am perfectly aware of the fact that research studies focus more on tumors with higher incidence on the population, as it is logical that it is. What I have decided to carry out is a fundraiser in which I will pour all my savings earned as a working student. Anyone who wants can contribute, even in a small part, to achieving this goal. The collection will be finalized to research studies on angiosarcomas carried out by the Italian Sarcoma Group to allow better care and quality of life in patients suffering from this pathology. I conclude by quoting a phrase from John Lennon: ‘Life is what happens to you while you are busy to make other plans'”, he concluded.
Symptoms and treatments – “The first symptom I had was a cough – Sofia also told al Courier -. I thought I caught cold. Then the fever appeared. After a few days nausea and vomiting. All non-specific symptoms, they are called that. I lost weight and my legs swollen”. Then the diagnosis. Considering that there were no other cases in the family, the young woman asked the oncologist for an explanation and the latter replied: “Just bad luck”. So, Sofia he began treatment, first in Genoa, then at the Niguarda in Milan and subsequently in a center in Aviano. Initially, his body reacted well, but after a while the tumor returned to expand, including in the lungs. On this occasion the young woman thought about interrupting the treatments.
“I was depressed and had panic attacks. The family was reunited. Mom was the optimist. ‘Try again’, she encouraged me, ‘don’t stay in doubt, maybe it will work’. On the other hand my father, the pessimistic. She said there was nothing left to do. It was the doctor who convinced me that I should go ahead with the chemo. Giving in would be like a defeat. I believe in destiny. Each of us has one,” added Sofia, who in any case understood that he no longer had any hope of life. “It’s a terrible sentence to hear, to think about. But instead of staying at home crying or feeling depressed, I prefer to spend the time I have left with people. Being with friends is nice. It’s always been enough for me. It’s nice to get up every morning to go at university, studying in the afternoon, jumping into the gym. My normality. I was happy. I would like to experience a day like this again, “concluded the 23-year-old.