Stefano Bellè's most beautiful goal: "I beat cancer"

The battle against pancreatic cancer between chemo and surgery: "I got down to 45 kg, I was a walking dead man. I owe everything to my family and to '4 saints'"

Forget goals! Forget the ball in the top corner. This was a feat for life. A fairy tale with a happy ending—with a few tears of emotion—crowned by a social media post that was a liberation: "I did it." Stefano Bellè, 49 years old, former footballer and now an amateur coach, is a different person: "Had the follow-up CT scan... all good... I ate the cancer... as they say in Rome... but what did the monster want with me? You gave me trouble... but now you're in your place... and tonight we celebrate." Just over five years of suffering for what was once the king of the wing: originally from Rocca di Papa and settled, for love, in Ortona. A professional footballer who entered the tunnel of illness and found the strength to come out. He wore many jerseys, including Avezzano, Teramo, L’Aquila, and Pescara. Youth sector at Lazio, a Primavera championship with Alessandro Nesta and Di Vaio. A few call-ups to Serie A with Zeman on the bench, but never a chance. A full-back, a powerhouse able to sweep away everything and everyone. A force of nature. He traveled around Italy and stopped playing in 2013 in Ortona, among the amateurs. From the field to the bench. First experiences as a coach until December 2019 when he went to Piazzano, in Val di Sangro, in December 2019. "I started playing again at 44, partly because there were so many absences, partly as a bet. And it went wonderfully, because I scored a lot of goals."

The first symptoms. Until a Sunday in February 2020. "After a match, in which I scored two goals, I went to the bathroom and my urine was the color of Coca Cola. I got alarmed and the next day I had blood and urine tests: the values were off the charts." Everyone wondered how he managed to play in that altered state of physical health. Straight to the hospital in Pescara, but the MRI was unclear and, above all, Covid broke out. Italy stopped and hospitals emptied to treat the infected. Stefano Bellè went home.

The diagnosis. Two months later, colic and stabbing pains arrived. Another alarm, unfortunately justified. New tests and this time his father-in-law, Dr. Rocco Valentinetti, a radiologist, took charge of the situation and, above all, realized that nothing good was on the horizon. "The diagnosis was terrible: pancreatic cancer on the verge of creating metastases. If a few more weeks had passed, there would have been nothing to do. My father-in-law is a saint to me, as is Dr. Caracino (now head physician in Vasto, ed.) who from Pescara sent me to Milan, to San Raffaele," says Stefano Bellè, more energetic and lively than ever. "There I found two more saints, doctors Belfiore and Crippa, people who saw beyond the obvious."

The operation. Twelve cycles of chemotherapy in Pescara and then, in February 2021, surgery in Milan where the residual tumor mass was removed. "The percentage of people who make it in these cases is 4%, and I decided I had to be one of the four. For me, for my family, for my exceptional wife Melissa, for my children (six-year-old twins Alessandro and Leonardo and the eldest, Giorgia). For all those people, so many, who have shown me support over these years. The worst thing about pancreatic cancer is recurrence. Usually a relapse is fatal." Bellè, on the other hand, finished his last cycle of chemotherapy in July 2021 and by the end of the month was back on the field for a friendly match with friends.

The nightmare and the dedication. "I had a lot of bad thoughts. My mother, my father, my brother-in-law, and two years ago, my sister: all died of cancer. I looked around and saw no prospects. But I told myself I had to make it. And in recent days I went for the last check-ups that show I'm well." Years lived with his heart in his throat, fearing a relapse. Every check-up was like holding his breath. "I got down to 45-48 kg, today I'm at 90. They gave me three months to live: pancreatic cancer, where do you run? I was a walking dead man. The statistics were merciless, but I had to and have to be one of the four out of a hundred who make it," explains Stefano Bellè, who has a special dedication: "To all those people who frequent oncology wards. To the patients first and foremost, of course. But also to the companions, people who suffer while putting on a brave face." The love of his family was fundamental. Now Bellè coaches the Ortona youth team. "The greatest joy is dealing with the kids and for this I have to thank the Ortona management who welcomed me like a son." Meanwhile, he continued coaching. "Three months after the operation in Milan I started coaching Lanciano. The green rectangle and the grass of the field gave me the strength and energy to react. I faced really tough cycles of chemotherapy. You can't do it, the world falls on you. And yet, no: I have to be one of the four out of a hundred who make it." As stubborn as he was on the field, a maniac for the wing: Serie B at Frosinone, Ancona, and Pescara. "At L’Aquila they sold me to Venezia, owned by the late Zamparini, for two million, and with that money the club survived another three years." Today Stefano Bellè is contagiously lively, but he doesn't forget. "I thank everyone, people say all sorts of things about the football world, but I can only testify to the great affection I received."

Original article: https://www.ilcentro.it/sport/il-gol-piu-bello-di-stefano-belle-ho-battuto-il-cancro-dlnlv0tu