The traditional sailing trip for girls and boys from the hematological centers of Naples was held off the coast of the Gulf of Naples, organized by UnoUnoCinque, in collaboration with AIL Napoli, with the support of Generali and the patronage of the Municipality of Naples and the Regional Council of Campania. The sailing trip coincided this year with the arrival in Naples of the Sognando Itaca boat, the project aimed at the psycho-social rehabilitation (mainly sailing therapy) of hematological patients. The initiative, promoted by AIL on the occasion of the National Day for the fight against Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma, and sponsored by the Navy, CONI, the Italian Sailing Federation, the Naval League and Sport and Health, was presented during of a press conference at the Napoli Rowing Club.
The psychological rehabilitation project
Sognando Itaca, born in 2006 as a sailing therapy project aimed at psychological rehabilitation and improving the quality of life of patients with blood cancers, from this year it transforms into a vehicle for disseminating the importance of psycho-social rehabilitation activities in a broad sense (in addition to the great activity of sailing therapy also art therapy, assisted activities with animals, walking, Yoga and many other activities in contact with nature) in accompanying onco-haematological patients in their treatment path. Through Sognando Itaca AIL also intends to focus its attention on the now inseparable combination between Environment and Health, with the aim of knowing and understanding to prevent and promote health protection actions.
Presentation of the initiative
Present at the meeting were Gaetano Manfredi, mayor of Naples, Teresa Armato, councilor for tourism and productive activities of the Municipality of Naples, Armida Filippelli, councilor for Professional Training of the Campania Region, Franco Picarone, president of the Budget Commission of the Campania Region, Michelangelo Giampietro, doctor of the Sports and specialist in Food Science-Dietetics at the Institute of Sports Medicine of Sport e Salute SpA and the speakers Corrado Faralla, Unounocinque Sailing Team, Valeria Rotoli, president of AIL Napoli, Giuseppe Toro, national president of AIL, Giuseppe Navoni, vice national president of AIL, president of AIL Brescia and coordinator Sognando Itaca, Alba Salvati, president of AGOP Campania, Andrea Camera, hematologist, vice president of AIL Naples, Aurelio Angelini, full professor of Sociology of the Environment and Territory, Mina Maisto, Head of Legislative&Institutional Affairs Italy Assicurazioni Generali, Cristiana Rodino’ di Miglione, Territorial Development Sud UniCredit.
The boats made available to the Naval League
The boats and crews were made available by the Naval League of Naples and by UnoUnoCinque, the non-profit amateur sports association, recognized by CONI, established in 2008 in Naples, with the aim of developing and spreading the activity of sailing and nautical disciplines in general and involved in organizing social activities such as those for patients suffering from blood cancer. «The happiness and joy we see on the faces of the girls and boys – stated Mimmo Buonomo, president of the UnoUnoCinque Sailing team, is what satisfies us and fills our hearts more than anything else. Our Association, for almost a decade, has worked all year round to support children and their families, organizing activities and working every day to try to guarantee them a brighter present and future. For this reason, it is with great enthusiasm that this year we also invited AGOP Campania, the Pediatric Oncology Parents’ Association, to participate, whose children, aged between 8 and 12, will participate, for the first time, in the courses from September of sailing therapy, to give moments of happiness to these children too. I thank all those who have dedicated their passion and time this year too, giving everyone a moment of serenity and carefreeness.”
Giuseppe Toro, AIL national president, is also enthusiastic: «AIL could not fail to pay attention to the environment precisely because of its repercussions on health. The environmental crisis is also the result of a significant increase in polluting sources both in the air and in other environments. The availability of scientific data and studies relating to the relationships between environmental pollution and health at a national and international level should lead to urgent political actions and regulations regarding the regulation of environmental protection, food safety, health protection and the release of toxic substances into the environment and food. The traditional AIL Sognando Itaca initiative fits well into this theme.”
Training courses for hematology patients from 2020
The initiative also made it possible to celebrate the results obtained during the year from UnoUnoCinque’s activity, the result of collaboration with AIL Napoli. Together with its team of expert sailors, UnoUnoCinque has been organizing training courses for haematological patients on the basics of sailing since 2020. The project aims to raise awareness of the characteristics and culture of sailing and to spread the benefits of sailing therapy. The hours of theory are combined with hours of practice at sea and, during the boat trips, the boys are engaged in turns in all the roles on board, with an active participation that sees them as protagonists and each responsible for their own tasks like everyone else crew member.
The Italian tour of Sognando Itaca
The Sognando Itaca boat left on May 31st from Genoa, for an 8-stage tour that embraced the Tyrrhenian Sea, arriving in Naples on June 14th. The initiative offers patients the opportunity to navigate accompanied by a multidisciplinary team. The true protagonists of the day were the patients who, thanks to the Sognando Itaca initiative, were able to experience the unique emotion of spending a day in the open sea on the Gulf of Naples on the boats of AIL and UnoUnoCinque Sailing Team, sailing in fact, for the sensations it offers and the unique and evocative conditions in which it is practiced, it has a therapeutic function and contributes to strengthening the existing relationship between patients, doctors, psychologists and nutritionists who make up the crew together with the on-board staff.
