«Crossing the finish line, together with the other women in pink, is exciting every time. That finish line is the emblem of our commitment and our motivation, in the race and in life. Why be one Pink Ambassador? Because you have to believe in yourself and, above all, because we owe it to other women, to testify firsthand that, despite a tumor, goals previously considered unthinkable can be achieved”. Talking is Giorgia Pisano, a young woman who at the age of 34 found herself dealing with breast cancer, diagnosed at the same time as a checkup for a lump. Her voice on her phone is breezy, she’s walking with two friends Pink Ambassador while he tells us about his journey, neo-adjuvant therapy, conservative surgery, post-operative radiotherapy: «It was 2016, it was a hard blow. At that age, who expects that? The tumor is always that of others. When my oncologist told me that she was there to help me, I thought I should do my part too and put all the strength I had into getting through this phase of life ».
It is when, having finished the treatments in 2017, he participates in the Pink Paradethe pink march of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation in support of scientific research that invades the city of Milan every year, which becomes aware of the Pink Ambassador project. The initiative is for all women who have experienced breast, uterine or ovarian cancer, eager to take on a new challenge, that of running a competitive half marathon to support research, followed by a coach from the Fidal, along with nutritional counseling and psychological support.
«It was my partner who urged me to apply to participate. I had never run, also due to a past knee surgery. Then, from Pink Ambassador, I ran four half marathons in one year: this shows that after a tumor you can do even more than you did before». April 2019, the Madrid half marathon; after only two weeks, the reference half of the Bologna team, that of Bellaria Igea Marina; September, Rome and, February 2020, Barcelona. “The pink T-shirt – he says – gives you an extra charge”, as the official slogan states Nothing stops pink, nothing stops women. Furthermore, research shows that running strengthens one’s positive belief about one’s own abilities, the so-called perception of self-efficacy, which is just as, if not more, important to one’s motivation and well-being than objective abilities.