How Mario inspired the FightTheStroke Foundation: A Family’s Impact on the Global Children’s Stroke Community

Keywords

1. ARTERIAL ISCHEMIC STROKE
2. CEREBRAL PALSY
3. EPILEPSY
4. PERINATAL STROKE

Hi, my name is Francesca, and I’m the proud mom of Mario. Mario was born 14 years ago. I had a hard pregnancy and had to stay in bed for eight months. Mario was born premature at 36 weeks at a healthy weight and my husband, and I believed everything was fine.

However, ten days after his birth, we found out something was wrong. We were still in the hospital’s special baby care unit when doctors performed a brain scan as a part of a research study (not because he had any symptoms) and saw that the right side of his brain was injured due to a stroke he experienced around the time of his birth. The doctors told us this would make it hard for Mario to control the left side of his body.

Think of it like this: imagine your computer can’t talk to your printer because the printer doesn’t have the right software. That’s what it’s like for Mario. His brain tries to tell his left arm or leg to move, but the message doesn’t go through.

We were shocked. No one had taught us how to deal with something like this. We were scared, but we decided not to give up. We started looking for ways to help Mario. One method we tried was a novel therapy using “mirror neurons”: we would show Mario how to grab objects with our hands, hoping his brain would learn by watching us.

There’s a theory that says when you watch someone do something, your brain “practices” it too. We hoped this would help Mario’s brain heal. But then one day, we saw that Mario wasn’t looking at our hands. He was looking at our faces. We were his mirror. And what he saw were two parents who were tired, sad, and seeing him as a problem—not as a gift.

That moment changed everything.

We realized we needed to be better role models for him. We stopped focusing on what he couldn’t do, and instead started focusing on what he could do. We began to enjoy life again. We traveled and stayed curious. And we brought Mario along for the journey, showing him the best the world has to offer.

Mario taught us something important: don’t focus on what you don’t have. Instead, be thankful for what you do have, and see challenges as a chance to grow.

Because of Mario, in 2013, we started the FightTheStroke Foundation, based in Milan, Italy. It’s a nonprofit that today helps more than 1,000 kids like Mario. We want every child and family to know they are not alone, as we felt when Mario was born.

At FightTheStroke we believe all children should have the same chances growing up. That’s why FightTheStroke works to create a better future for kids who have had a stroke, epilepsy, and Cerebral Palsy, and for their families.

We want to spread awareness that strokes and brain damage can happen even before birth, not only to adults, and that early support and knowledge can make a big difference. We also want to inspire young people and ignite new research and ideas for recovery.

One accident at birth should not decide a child’s future.

If you want to know more about Mario’s journey and FightTheStroke Foundation look at these resources: https://www.fightthestroke.org/pitch.

About the Author