«Seeing the people on the side of the streets, hearing their cheering, the screams of the public, the wind on their faces, all this gives me a crazy emotion». Silvia Roldanwho has lived with multiple sclerosis for 24 years, enjoys a certain notoriety among runners: together with his son Eric Domingo Roldàn he has participated in more than 30 races around the world, including in Abu Dhabi, including 6 marathons. The two boast two Guinness World Speed Record over the queen distance of 42.195 km pushing a wheelchair, 2h53:28 Barcelona Marathon 2021 and 2h52:39 Valencia Marathon 2022. Very respectable times even for a runner running alone.
«I always accompanied my son to his races, then one day he came to me and said: Mom, what do you think, let’s go running together? – I replied: you’ve gone crazy! Then I thought about it a bit and said to myself: come on! Come on, I accept the challenge! And that’s how it all began.”
Who said running is an individualistic sport? Running is increasingly a vehicle for social inclusion and solidarity. This is demonstrated by the success of the numerous fundraisers associated with events held every weekend and the flourishing of paradigmatic examples such as that of Silvia Roldàn and her son. This year their beautiful message of inclusion reaches the Milano Marathon in which they will participate as Aism ambassadors because their message of inclusion beyond multiple sclerosis knows no borders and language barriers.
«We met Eric and Silvia in 2020, as soon as we came out of lockdown we organized a virtual race and created a live link to tell their beautiful story that knows no geographical boundaries and language barriers! In their message of inclusion and participation we recognize the same spirit that pushed, more than 50 years ago, some people with multiple sclerosis and their families to create our Association: to raise awareness of the disease, to ask for full inclusion beyond disability, to represent the rights of people with multiple sclerosis and subsequently finance scientific research to discover the causes of the pathology, but above all to find a definitive cure” says Vittorio Borgia, president Aism Milan. «We chose to bring the story of Eric and Silvia to the Milan Marathon because regardless of the illness situation, each person can choose how to face small and large difficulties, and their story represents an incredible example of resilience and love for life, beyond multiple sclerosis».
Il Charity Program, active since 2012, is a solidarity program that allows the non-profit world to participate in the Marathon by obtaining visibility and involving its supporters in the race and in fundraising on Rete del Dono, the crowdfunding platform and personal fundraising partner of the event. Also for this edition Euro jerseyan Italian textile company, supports Aism as technical partner with the donation of t-shirts made with Sensitive® Fabrics performance fabrics, produced exclusively for all the Association’s runners.
The project that Aism has decided to support with the funds that will be raised (Who) on the occasion of the Milan Marathon Relay is a mobility service: “Road To Life: transport and accompaniment services for people with multiple sclerosis”.
Photo: Silvia Roldàn and Eric Domingo Roldàn (Aism)