A Lesson of Life

Alex Zanardi was at Cavazza to tell his story as a champion, showing courage for not letting his traumatic experience defeat him, considering it a "passage" in his life.

Maria Chiara Mazzi

It was indeed an important moment which took place at the inauguration of the 2002/2003 Events of the Women's Affairs Commission of Bologna's Italian Blind Union. On Friday, October 18th, in Hall Bentivoglio of the Istituto Cavazza  was held an informal presentation entitled Courage, in sports and in life - Experience of a Champion, with Bolognese car racer Alex Zanardi.
Introduced by journalist Candido Bonvicini, the discussion was lead by sports chronicler Alberto Bortolotti. The event also involved Doctor Costa who has contributed to the physical and psychological recovery of the champion after his extremely serious Berlin accident.
Alex's is a true lesson of life. In front of a large crowd who had come to see him, he spoke about his life before and after the accident, insisting that, however traumatic, it had been an experience, a passage in his own life, an ordeal that we could all face in life because of the many events in which we find ourselves every day.
A lesson of life which takes on a special importance when it occurs to a champion known by all, a public personality, and for that reason an example for those who face problems less or more severe than what Alex experienced.
This story - the young man has demonstrated a complete openess to go anywhere to share it - was repeated in front of well-represented institutions who have given assurance of their availability: Nicolò Rocco di Torre Padula, City Counsellor, and Marco Macciantelli, Deputy for Culture and Sports for the Province of Bologna.
In his concluding remarks, Cavazza's President, Pier Michele Borra, emphasized how opportune an evening like this had been and recalled how Zanardi is an example of willpower transcending adversity of nature and life, preserving his own dignity.