The nightmare of cancer told in the form of a fable, to give strength and courage to her daughters but also to herself. This is the path chosen, after sleepless nights, by Irene Fallo, 41 years old from Iglesias, a nutrition biologist, to face a difficult and unexpected path.
The route
The diagnosis came suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, undermining certainties, prospects and plans for the future. "When I learned last year that I had breast cancer, my world fell apart. - she says - My first thought went to my two little girls, who were 10 and 8 years old at the time: how could I explain to them what was happening to me without scaring them?" Then the idea of the fairy tale: "I called my illness Efisio, picturing it as a little devil who had sneaked into my body and, day by day, inventing a different story each time, I am managing to positively face this difficult chapter of my life. I must say that all of this, in addition to reassuring my little girls, has helped me to give myself the awareness and strength needed to fight my illness and not give in to Efisio."
The diary
In the wake of this idea, the Facebook page "Irene's diary - traveling beyond the borders" was born - in which Irene publishes, almost daily and with an ironic, light-hearted but also reflective and engaging spirit, her personal battle against evil and adventures in the not always perfect reality of public health. "I realized that telling what happens to me, even painting it in cheerful and sometimes metaphorical colors, makes me feel better and supports me in the most difficult moments. In the same way, I have pleasantly realized that what I write in my personal diary has been helpful even by giving a single smile to other people". Irene's initiative, in fact, is not an end in itself but wants to be a spur to those who, finding themselves in similar conditions, tend to withdraw into themselves, worsening their health situation and making the therapeutic cycle longer, more difficult and complicated. "You need to talk, talk and talk again. It is useless and harmful to silently carry around your pains, worries and problems, not only of physical health but also and above all mental health".
The message
Irene's important message is precisely this: do not isolate yourself and do not be afraid to tell your experiences and, if necessary, ask for help. You save yourself by networking, supporting each other and, also, exposing your own fragilities and experiences. "My hope is that this form of communication can be of help to other people. The mind plays an important role: facing the disease in a positive way is certainly helpful and complementary to pharmacological therapies. My dream is to see a team of medical psychologists alongside each oncology department for the healing process."
