“I can’t walk”. When you hear those words on the lips of a child below the age of three, it’s hard to turn your back and walk away. Imagine you’re the child’s parents. The words came out with the composed calmness of a fact of nature.
Simona and Pietro were, of course, staggered when they learned Lorenzo suffered from type 2 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA 2). However, Lorenzo has a rare quality, which is his strength, his amazing self-awareness and composure. He listens carefully when adults talk about his condition. One is moved to see him describe his disease to his brother. These are the things that tell us just how important our mission is. Watch the video dedicated to Lorenzo.
When you have a child like Lorenzo the normal concerns of a parent are amplified beyond measure. His father knows the day will come when certain limitations will no longer seem so natural, when life becomes an even tougher challenge. Lorenzo’s mother knows that if he no longer wears nappies, as he grows, this doesn’t mean he’ll walk. Sometimes we feel like a leaf blown about by the wind. A moment ago it was despair. Now it’s a smile − because Lorenzo knows how to turn on the charm, and express his joy in life and living! In the meantime, Lorenzo grows, and takes on life’s fresh challenges with a resolve that is equal to (and perhaps even greater than) that of his parents. In his daily struggle, Lorenzo needs you.
OUR RESEARCHERS DEDICATE EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES TO CHILDREN LIKE LORENZO, EVERYWHERE
Research can bring big improvements to the lives of children like Lorenzo. Over the years, by means of the Telethon-Uildm competition announcements, we select the top teams of researchers and clinics. Thanks to our commitment and research, we’re currently on the leading edge of efforts worldwide to care for such children as they grow up, while awaiting a definitive cure.
Over the last few years, thanks to our leadership within the framework of a European network of associations dedicated to the field of research into neuromuscular diseases, Italy has become one of the first countries to host experimentation directly involving the patients themselves.
