Bologna –
The first episode of “Non solo Virtus,” the podcast column that collects interviews, stories and off-court anecdotes about everything that does not concern the playing parquet of Virtus Segafredo’s players and players, featured Achille Polonara. At the microphone of Dario Ronzulli Achille talked about the last and intense two months of his life, his relationship with his family and his desire to return to the court soon.
On returning to the team on Tuesday, November 28 : “Of course it was a very tough period, however, I am happy to be back training with my teammates. Today I had my first training session after this somewhat complicated and delicate situation but I am happy, because after almost two months after the operation I feel good and I am ready to play. During my first training session I was super charged, as if I had to play an official game, because already sustaining a training session with contact was really something I have been waiting for a long time. I tried to have a good practice and I also felt good, I thought much worse after two months of practically not touching the ball, but no, it was a good practice and hopefully day by day I can feel better and better.”
The story of October 6, the moments after the discovery until the operation: “I found out thanks to a doping control sustained after the Supercup final in Brescia. Of course, the result came after a couple of weeks. It was October 6 and I received an email , I had finished lunch and was resting in bed with my wife and daughter and I receive an email on my cell phone from the Federal Doping Prosecutor’s Office. Having never received such an email before I was immediately worried, it said that there was an abnormal value in a sportsman and that I would have to prove within two weeks whether it was a value coming from my body or not. Total panic! on the one hand I was calm because I hadn’t taken anything unusual, on the other hand I think inside, what if it was something more serious instead? I call the Virtus doctor, the legendary Diego Rizzo, and he informs me that he would try to figure out what it was. I start reading up on the Internet, type in the name of this HCG value, and among the results appears “pregnant women,” add “in athletes,” and find an article related to Acerbi. I’m contacted again by Dr. Rizzo and he tells me to go to Sant’Orsola for an examination. I arrive at Sant’Orsola and as soon as I start this examination I immediately discover the tumor. There and then I took it quite calmly, the doctors reassured me by telling me that it was not a worrying thing, my life or career was not at risk. Once the operation was over, everything went well. I thought the worst was over, but instead the most important part is the next part, which is the post-operation CT scan to see if this tumor had ended up in other parts as well. Fortunately it didn’t, it was a bit anxious days, hopefully the worst is over.”
