Mauro's Story

Mauro's Story

Mauro, 57 years old, from Genoa, had been working in Greece for 10 years as director of an international shipping company, and had been the Honorary Consul of Italy in Piraeus for 4 years.

In 2011 Mauro felt severe back pain and went for an examination in Greece. He was diagnosed with a malignant tumour: sacral chordoma. He returned to Italy to have surgery in Milan. The;surgery was successful but the tumour could not be completely removed: in fact, if the surgeons had intervened on the deepest part of the disease, Mauro would have run the risk of never walking again.

The doctors explained to him that he needed a hadrontherapy treatment to destroy the remaining tumour cells.

Mauro was looking for a centre where he could undergo this treatment. For example, he contacted Boston, where the therapy would have cost 200,000 euros. The Genoa Local Health Authority, however, informed him of the existence of a new centre in Italy, the CNAO of Pavia, where he could get treated. Mauro decided to go.

From May to July 2012, he received 5 successful hadrontherapy sessions per week. The disease was defeated, as shown by the periodic check-ups carried out up to now at the CNAO.

Mauro went back to his usual life and to practice his favourite sports, especially tennis and sailing.

He was awarded by Giorgio Napolitano with the honour of "Commander of the Order of the Star of Italy".

Mauro said: "At the CNAO I have met people who are very well trained technicians professionally speaking, and also have great psychological and human skills. At the CNAO, I have never felt alone. I always had someone close by, doctors or nurses. I was accompanied from "beginning to end".