Carola, suffering from an incurable disease, realizes her dream: leaving in a camper with friends

Mother Simona’s wish was to see her daughter happy at least for one day. Carola, Roman, is now 17 years old, and was a girl full of life and interests, very good at school and in sport, which she practiced at a competitive level. Then, at 14, a terrible diagnosisincomprehensible and too painful to accept: Lafora disease, an incurable diseasewhich involves a progressive and inevitable psycho-physical deterioration and a series of symptoms worsening the quality of life, including epileptic seizures, muscle contractions, tremor and motor incoordination of the lower and upper limbs, alteration of conjugated eye movements and psychological deterioration.

The treatments are not working as hoped and Carola is increasingly tired. Mother Simona writes to Make-A-Wish, a non-profit association that has been realizing the wishes of young patients suffering from serious pathologies since 2004. The first meeting is soon organized at Carola’s house, which requires a certain caution, given that the girl is very tired and speaks with difficulty. But she manages to explain that she would like to go on a camper holiday with the people close to her. A short trip, which however has the flavors of freedom, discovery, escape, emotions.

First of all, it is necessary to organize everything with the consent of the doctors because Carola’s illness requires great attention and no further risk to her health can be accepted: adequate assistance is therefore provided and studied an engaging itinerary that does not involve too long journeys. September is the ideal month for a camper experience because the temperature is warm and you can be outdoors.

The traveling companions are Cristina, Dario and Lorenzo, best friends, Cristiana and Monica, volunteers Make-A-Wish, and mum. Here we go: the first destination is the Tarot Garden of Capalbioan artistic park, a special place populated with statues inspired by the major arcana of the tarot. From Lake Bolsena to Lake Bracciano, nature and transparent waters accompany Carola. And then the boat ride, the barbecue and the bonfire on the beachlaughter with friends and, finally, the night under the stars, in a Bubble Room, a transparent bubble-shaped suite equipped with a telescope to admire the sky. Carola is happy as ever.

“Today she woke up with a different face,” her mother said the day after returning home. «She had happiness in her eyes and she felt like her friends for the first time on this trip. You have managed to defeat the barriers. It was very tiring for her, everything was very fast, but this was precisely her challenge and her victory, live two days like a normal teenager. You read Carola’s heart and did not indulge a mother’s fears.”