Would you like to tell your story? Who is Filippo?
I am a 24 year old boy from Riccione, I have led a normal life and I still lead it.
Filippo Cupparoni, Riccione City Councilor: Discovering the disease twelve years ago was certainly a turning point in my life. Until then, I was just another twelve-year-old: football, soccer fields, and church. We discovered the disease almost by accident. I was suffering from headaches, and a neurologist, whom I still thank today, told us to try an echocardiogram. That test revealed a thickening of the ventricular wall. This alarmed my entire family, and I was banned from all sports: from simple gym class at school to soccer. In the meantime, I began a series of tests, MRIs, and genetic tests for myself and my family, to determine who had transmitted the disease to me. I also began visiting many centers, until I met Professor Olivotto in Florence, who has been treating me for the past four or five years.
Filippo Cupparoni, Riccione City Councilor: Discovering the disease twelve years ago was certainly a turning point in my life. Until then, I was just another twelve-year-old: football, soccer fields, and church. We discovered the disease almost by accident. I was suffering from headaches, and a neurologist, whom I still thank today, told us to try an echocardiogram. That test revealed a thickening of the ventricular wall. This alarmed my entire family, and I was banned from all sports: from simple gym class at school to soccer. In the meantime, I began a series of tests, MRIs, and genetic tests for myself and my family, to determine who had transmitted the disease to me. I also began visiting many centers, until I met Professor Olivotto in Florence, who has been treating me for the past four or five years.
You are currently a city councilor in Riccione, how did this passion for politics come about?
Politics has always been a personal passion of mine. I have no family history of political involvement; we do something completely different. I don't make a living from politics myself, but I work with my father and brother in a frozen food distribution company. I'd been thinking about running for office for a while, and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it. Many people supported me, especially since I was 22 and had no experience. I didn't get a huge number of votes, but it was enough to get onto the council, and it was truly satisfying. Politics isn't easy, just as it isn't easy to get involved in certain dynamics. After a year on the city council, I managed to get an agenda approved calling on the administration to commit to and invest in installing AEDs, automated external defibrillators, which can be used by anyone in times of extreme need.
How did it end?
Unfortunately, immediately after, there were problems within the municipality that was placed under special administration, so for 5-6 months we were unable to operate, in the end the problems were fortunately resolved and we resumed the council work. At that point I took action so that the ODG would not be forgotten and finally this August the first defibrillator was installed in the largest and most popular public park in the city, very popular with young people, joggers or simply dog walkers. The AED was positioned right in front of a basketball court and 50 meters from the soccer field. We will soon install another defibrillator in the city center of Riccione in the historic promenade that, especially in summer, fills up with people since, in summer compared to winter, Riccione quadruples the attendance thanks to tourism.
How was this initiative received by your colleagues on the council and by the city?
The city's political climate is high, often resulting in bitter clashes between two factions. Yet this proposal was unanimously approved, transcending political divides, and this was far from a given. The city's reaction was also positive, with many acknowledging the lack of such a presence in the park. Of course, this shouldn't be a one-off initiative, a point of arrival, but merely the beginning of a journey.
You still have three years of council ahead of you, until 2027. What initiatives do you want to carry forward to make the most of this political experience?
I would like to work to increase prevention, which is essential, to provide training and awareness. I would like to promote first aid and resuscitation courses so that as many people as possible know how to use an AED and perform resuscitation. I would like to raise awareness in schools, collaborate more closely with AICARM. I am proud of what has been done so far, but it is certainly not enough. I would like to leave a small mark in these years that I still have ahead of me as a city councilor. I want to bring my sensitivities to the council, the things that I know best and that allow me to bring something more, a personal contribution that comes from my life experience.
In some way, did the illness also teach you something and give you a push to do more?
Illness changes you, in some ways negatively, but in many others positively because it pushes you to discover yourself and learn new things. It is true that it was hard to give up sports at twelve, I still remember the fear of running to the den when I played hide and seek with my peers. Today I know I am lucky, I have certainly gained a lot of awareness. Professor Olivotto always tells me that I have to think about my illness only to remember to take the pill, then I have to forget it. Now I live a normal life, I want to say I still feel lucky.
