«TIt all started in December 2014: I was 40 years old and had fibrocystic breasts, which is why I regularly underwent preventive visits. That day, however, the ultrasound revealed that something was wrong and that I should have had a mammogram immediately to ascertain what later became a definitive diagnosis: breast cancer.”
Telling his story is Stefania Pestoday aligned with the Pink Ambassadorthat is, women who, after having faced the experience of the disease, accept the challenge launched by Umberto Veronesi ETS Foundation with a double goal: to run a half marathon and to raise funds for research into female cancers.
The experience of illness
«After the diagnosis, I went through the process expected in these cases – Stefania recalls. – I was totally anxious. Until you are faced with a diagnosis of this type you cannot understand what it means: all diseases are scary but there is a particular stigma towards cancer. A thousand questions crowded into my head: I immediately asked myself what would happen to me, what I would have to face… It’s a bit as if our life was a big hourglass: we see the sand flowing but we never look at how much remains, until we find ourselves dealing with one a reality that really overturns plans. As I always say, at that moment my hourglass of time turned».
Hormonal therapies and induced menopause
Thanks also to the support of those close to her and who encourage her to move forward, Stefania faces the treatment process, not without difficulty.
«I can’t deny that I have suffered a lot: the disease has taken its toll on me a profound impact, also from an emotional and psychological point of view – confesses Stefania. – I didn’t have to undergo chemotherapy, but on the other hand, with hormonal therapies, it was necessary induce menopause, one thing not easy to accept at 40 years old, when you are still in the prime of your life, even sexual life.”
THE’weight gain, hot flashes, mood swings: Stefania finds herself thus facing a series of ailmentsthe ones that lead her to live with the relationship with one’s body is also difficult. «I weighed 50 kg when I had the operation and I ended up weighing 69 kg – she says – at work I happened to find myself in the middle of a call completely drenched in sweat and then there was the scar left by the operation… I really struggled to accept my bodyo: in this sense, r was very helpful to mereceive psycho-oncological support».
The meeting with the Veronesi Foundation
What Stefania calls her ‘salvation’, however, comes when she understands that illness is also leading her to search for a deeper meaning in his life.
«I found myself wondering if I was really doing what I wanted Do in life, if what I did made sense. The meeting with Fondazione Veronesi arrived just at the moment I was looking for those answers. I admired the Pink Ambassadors, women who, after cancer, they managed to get back into the game by tackling a marathon. I was looking for hope in them testimony of those who had made it, despite knowing that I had to learn to accept the other side of the coin, that is, those stories that didn’t have a happy ending and in which I could still recognize myself.”
Pink Ambassador of the Veronesi Foundation
Become a Pink Ambassador
And so, after participating in the PittaRosso Pink Paradea non-competitive walk that aims to support research and raise awareness among women about the importance of prevention, Stefania decides to propose her candidacy and in 2018 she also becomes Pink Ambassador of the Veronesi Foundation.
«With the other companions there was immediately that form of understanding and sharing that I needed. In them I found one enormous and authentic strength, the one that arises from fragility. And so I decided to turn that strength into something constructive for my life. In fact, over time, becoming a Pink Ambassador has given me the opportunity to help and support those who are facing a similar path to mineit made me find a new meaning and it was something powerful for me. I was happy to see that there were women who looked at me exactly as I looked at the other Pink Ambassadors at the beginning.”
‘Research is an investment for everyone’
However, for Stefania, running also means being able to convey to people a message in which she believes deeply.
«Supporting research has a very specific meaning for me – he is keen to underline – it is not a question of doing something for those who have received a diagnosis, since research is an investment in everyone’s future. There are people who pay for a supplementary pension, life insurance… well, the research is a bit like this: invest in the future, for the purpose of being able to have the chance, one day, to protect your existence and that of the people you love».
The role of prevention
«If I hadn’t made that visit in 2014 I would most likely have arrived late and would have suffered certainly worse consequences. Because of this I always recommend to all women, even the youngest ones, to get checked. Undergoing tests can be scary but the prevention is essential: we must not wait until there is something wrong, because this would give us less opportunity to deal with the disease” – urges Stefania who today, after the suffering, has found herself again.
«I reached the age of fifty I got two tattoos: one recites ‘Per aspera ad astra’the other, which I made on the right shoulder, is the word ‘Ikigai’Japanese concept indicating the purpose of life. To always remind me that everything that happens to us can become the starting point for seek a deeper meaning and to find our reason».
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The Pink Ambassador project – 2025 edition is created thanks to the precious contribution of companies and entities that have long been close to Fondazione Veronesi such as Credem Euromobiliare Private Banking, Lauretana, Lenergia SpA, PayPal, Alce Nero, Clinians, Tenderly and Airone as technical partners.
Lauretana for the Pink Ambassadors
Lauretana, the lightest water in Europe, proudly renews its support for the Umberto Veronesi ETS Foundation to finance scientific research on female tumors, and – always attentive to well-being and the promotion of correct lifestyles – Lauretana is still alongside the Pink Ambassadors, extraordinary women who put themselves on the line to spread a message of strength, hope and rebirth.