Farewell to Andrea Spinelli, the 50-year-old originally from Catania who had been battling pancreatic cancer for 10 years and had recounted his battle in a series of books. He had been nicknamed the Italian Forrest Gump because he had crossed Italy and many other European countries on foot, a staunch supporter of the fact that daily movement could keep his pathology at bay. In fact, the doctors had initially given him a few weeks' perspective of life, the diagnosed tumor was inoperable.
Spinelli died at the Hospice of Cro di Aviano (Pordenone).
«In October 2013 they gave me twenty days to live – he often said -. I have since had over 2 years of chemo that would have knocked anyone out. But I'm not giving up." In the early years, he managed to tour Europe on foot. "I traveled 18,000 km, thirty million abundant steps and, they tell me, I am a unique clinical case in the world".
The pandemic and travel restrictions have confined him to Claut, in Valcellina. He had sold the apartment and bought a camper in which he lived with his wife, who assisted him until the last moment.
(Unioneonline/ss)
