Carlo Calcagni and a gold medal that weighs like a boulder
In New Delhi, India, Carlo Calcagni won a gold medal in the 400 meters at the World Paralympic Athletics Championships. A victory that goes far beyond sporting merit: his is a medal that weighs like a boulder of sacrifice, pain and resilience.
The Colonel of the Honor Role of the Italian Army is a victim of Duty, wounded and maimed for service, following the NATO International Peacekeeping Mission, under the auspices of the United Nations, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as a helicopter pilot engaged in the noblest of community service, saving lives.
His life changed dramatically on September 28, 2002, when he underwent the first of a very long series of surgeries, in Padua, Italy, on his liver. What the medical records call a “complex clinical course,” he calls simply: “my ordeal.”
The consequences of exposure to toxic contaminants and depleted uranium during his mission in Bosnia have scarred him irreversibly. He was diagnosed with devastating chronic and degenerative diseases: Pulmonary fibrosis and respiratory insufficiency, forcing him to run with only one functioning lung and constantly tied to oxygen, even during training and competitions; heavy metal heart disease; chronic and irreversible autoimmune degenerative demyelinating encephalitis with ataxic syndrome; sensory-autonomic polyneuropathy; chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME); fibromyalgia; secondary parkinsonism; and, since 2014, multiple sclerosis.
The victory in New Delhi was dedicated to the President of FISPES, Salvatore Mariano, but also to all the federal staff that supports Paralympic athletes: “Ours is a close-knit group, which allows us to always give our best with serenity and strength. We are not just athletes, we are a family that shares sacrifices and victories”.
The deepest thought, however, went to his private life: “My true gold medalist, the light of my eyes and the strength that sustains me in the most difficult moments, are my children: Francesca and Andrea. To them I dedicate every milestone, every breath gained, every victory against illness and against the adversities of life”.
