Pozzecco and Meneghin, two champions against leukaemia

Easy-going and smiling as always, but also serious and convinced as if they were passing the ball again to score a championship basket. Gianmarco Pozzecco and Andrea Meneghin, the two most loved players of the Varese basketball team in the last twenty years, met this morning for a nice and an important initiative: enrol in the Associazione Donatori Midollo Osseo (Association Bone Marrow Donors) and contribute in this way to a databank formed for many suffering people.

“Poz” and “Menego” presented themselves in the middle of the morning at the transfusion centre of the Hospital in Circolo, near the lodge of the old hospital, and they let them take a sample of their blood that will now be analysed, catalogued and registered in the case that in the future it should result compatible for a donation. Receiving them there was the president of Admo Lombardia Roberto Aprile, the doctor Vincenzo Saturni and Anna Bo (in the photo with the two players).

 

“A wonderful thing” smiled Meneghin after the sample was taken. “It is right for us to give an hand to an association like this: it’s easy and it is necessary. The data tells us: in this moment there are too few subscribers to the databank, if it is possible we need help from everybody”. Near him there is the ex-player and winner of the trophy: “As well as being necessary, our actions, must be done with a big smile, because it’s fantastic to give a little bit of serenity and optimism. If I will be called to donate my bone marrow to someone certainly I will do so and if I were in your shoes I will go to subscribe myself now.” Poz ended: “It is a pity that the donation of Menego isn’t useful… I’ve seen that while he was on the bed the doctor emptied the test tube in the washbasin”.

Continuing this joke together, they added: “It is the second time that we make ourselves useful; the first time we gave a new toupee to Sandro De Pol, so in this way he could have his head just like when he was in Milan, and we called him “abbellicapelli” (lit: beautiful hair”).

Among the people laughing there is the doctor Saturni that took the samples: ”Enroling in the Admo is easy; it just needs some drops of blood and a form to fill in (in the photo Gianmarco and Andrea with the bureaucratic… problems): you are inserted in the local and national registers and if there is compatibility with a  leukaemia sufferer you will be contacted.

Unfortunately the compatibility outside the family is lower, there is one every hundred/two hundred thousand: so it is necessary that many people offer their help”.

 

The presence of Pozzecco and Meneghin is not accidental: a bit of all the provincial basket is moving in aid of Admo and the cause unfortunately is not so happy. In the last months indeed leukaemia has affected Tarcisio Vaghi, the very well known coach  who had also sat down on the bench of the Pallacanestro Varese as assistant of Ruben Magnano. Around him has suddenly created a group of friends, players and technicians (presented this morning by Andrea “Nik” Laudi) who have mobilised to promote the Admo: many players of the minor championships have already subscribed, other have requested to donate and while it is not excluded in a nearby future will come other initiatives. Because to win, against also diseases, team play is fundamental and having a group with many champions certainly helps.