Three women together are capable of anything. If they have faced a tumor head-on, they have a strength that is unimaginable even for them. The challenge called “Marocco Expedition Women Challenge” it wasn’t superhero stuff, but neither was it for people who feel sorry for themselves: it was a mountain bike raid, along impervious paths between the deserts and mountains of Morocco, from the High Atlas mountain range to the volcanic massif of Jebel Saghro , up to the famous Draa Valley. In all, 460 km. To demonstrate, to themselves before the world, that often the impossible is possible.
Heart, tenacity and spirit of revenge. So three Sardinian women fought and won one of the toughest challenges they’ve ever faced, apart from the disease. At first there were four of them: Daniela Touch, Donatella Always e Paola Zonza managed to leave but, in the last days of preparation, Daniela Valdes he had to give up for personal reasons. They accepted the proposal Social center and, together, they decided to start a long, tiring journey made up of medical visits, workouts, balanced diets. Adequate technical training, combined with meticulous athletic preparation, has allowed them to obtain the green light from the medical-health staff led by Dr. Marco Scorcu, head of Sports Medicine of the Cagliari Assl and health manager of Cagliari Calcio. In Morocco, however, the doctor was present Rita Nonnisbreast surgeon of the Aou of Sassari, while Dr. Claudia Collu was the biologist-nutritionist of the expedition in which the coach took part Anthony Marinol’extreme explorer Maurice Doro e Michele Marongiu: the latter, a fan of ultracycling and a lover of bicycle adventure trips, was the creator of the initiative. He was inspired by the story of Tiziana Garauanother cancer patient, who ideally represents all the 182,000 Italian women who are diagnosed with cancer each year (there are 195,000 new cancer diagnoses among men).
Paola Zonza is 43 years old and is from Sassari. She has ten years of basketball behind her, before joining the series with the women’s Torres shirt: the one, to be clear, who won the championships with goals scored by top players such as Parejo, Carta, Guarino and Placchi. «Paoletta, as we call her, embodied the spirit of sardines in group with many grafts from the peninsula. She was a key element in the locker room. I’m not surprised that you succeeded in this enterprise », comments the former president of Torresino Leonardo Marras.
«That competitive background of mine helped me a lot», admits Paola. «The Morocco Expedition was a very demanding experience, but I’m happy to have participated in it because, during my illness, I had to abandon the sporting activity. Thanks to this initiative I found myself in another team. I was hesitant, I wondered how I could interact with them: after all, I had some experience in team sports, they didn’t. Instead I was positively surprised by their extraordinary camaraderie”.
Donatella Mereu is originally from Portoscuso but Cagliari by adoption. “I don’t know exactly what I feared the most when I set off on this extraordinary adventure,” she comments. «Definitely the physical effort, even though I’ve always loved outdoor sports. The bike came later. But perhaps the emotional part was prevalent because, unlike my adventure companions, I still fight against myeloma while they, fortunately, have been declared clinically cured. I came out stronger from this experience.”
«Paola is right, there was a special feeling between us», is the opinion of Daniela Tocco. «It was enough for us to look into each other’s eyes to understand each other immediately and find a solution to any problem. It was a wonderful experience, just thinking about them makes me smile again. Of course, the disease put me to the test and left its mark, but it allowed me to learn new things. I had a great desire to live, now even more: the Morocco Expedition made me grow in listening to and helping others».
The presentation of the documentary film made by the videomaker Pierandrea Maxia, which took place on Tuesday evening in a hotel in the Sardinian capital, snatched more than one tear from the many present. The journalist from Cagliari Giorgio Porràone of Sky Sport’s leading men, lent his face to act as the leitmotif of the plot: his presence was particularly significant and in line with the project, as he himself had to fight against a very aggressive tumor.
«When you are diagnosed with cancer, after the initial slap, you think about reacting. You set yourself goals, even if you don’t know if you’ll be able to heal,” explains Paola. “It hurt me to see others doing things I could no longer do. I couldn’t because I lacked strength. Over time I became more and more intolerant, rough, easily irritable. But I had made a list of wishes, some simple, some less so. Among them was a marathon. A series of muscle problems blocked me for a long time. When they offered me the Morocco Expedition, I said to myself: this is my marathon! That’s what closes the circle.”
“I was sorry to give up sports activities. In truth, the hematologist hadn’t forbidden me to take them. He had advised me not to get overwhelmed by anxiety, but it was precisely this thought that fueled my anxiety » says Donatella. «I grit my teeth and overcame the delays. I’m happy I made it.”
«I always say: there is no time to despair», is Daniela’s philosophy of life. «Life goes on: if you stand still, it overwhelms you. Her head travels on her behalf, her body follows. We need to be strong and direct them towards the right path».
The company was born from an idea of Michele Marongiu. «The inspiration came from Tiziana Garau. Her story struck me so much that I thought it was right to give continuity to another experience I had a year and a half ago with “Acentro per il sociale”: the delivery of letters written to Santa Claus by about forty children with various disabilities . Three other bikers and I covered 4,800 km by bike from Rovereto to the North Cape, up to the official home of Santa Claus, in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. When we presented the initiative, I met Tiziana. The Morocco Expedition was born there, an extraordinary adventure made of humanity, sacrifices, friendship, solidarity. With the help of many professionals who put their soul into it so that everything went in the best way. It wasn’t a walk in the park, we were aware of it, but everything went smoothly. After all, it was a simple project, but at the same time it proved to be very complex and required teamwork».
To reach the finish line, the participants had to overcome an easy comfort zone, pushing themselves beyond the usual boundaries. The extraordinary beauty of the Maghreb landscapes and the untouched nature, together with the traditional hospitality of the locals, have made this challenging tour on two wheels more enjoyable. The athletes slept in small hostels, one night even in a Berber camp on the edge of the desert. They shared various moments of family life with the rural population, welcomed and wrapped up in the warmth of simple people.
The motto of “Acentro per il sociale” is enclosed in a sentence by the writer Sándor Márai: you’ll fight, you’ll get it, you’ll keep it. Paola, Donatella and Daniela have achieved the three objectives and are a model to follow for many women. The hope is that Daniela Valdes will soon be able to do the same, in full health. Others will follow, we bet.