Sandro Valbonesi completes his cross-county journey

When his mother was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2009, Sandro Valbonesi was understandably taken aback. He was a young, well-rounded athlete and massage therapist from Forlì in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. He was visiting New York when he got word that his mother was suffering from what was believed to be an ulcer. Upon arriving home, he was told of the cancer diagnosis by his mother’s physician.

Mr. Valbonesi’s mother was fortunate in that the tumor was operable, and chemotherapy successfully erased any trace of the cancer. But Mr. Valbonesi was not content to just go on with his life as if nothing had happened. He resolved to do something to make a difference, in whatever way he could.

He had run in marathons and had played competitive sports his whole life and was good at endurance sports. He wondered how he could turn his talents and athletic abilities into a resource to combat cancer for others. It was in March of 2010 that
he figured it out. He created the “Cancer Challenge Coast 2 Coast” project. He would travel back to New York where he had first heard of his mother’s illness, and would cross the entire continental United States— under his own power. He signed up sponsors, and solicited donations from everyday people on his website.

Alternating between riding his bicycle and walking, he would break up the 3,000 mile “duothon” into about fifty stops as he travelled from coast to coast, concluding in San Francisco’s North Beach.
That conclusion happened on Friday, when Sandro Valbonesi crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, ran along the Marina, and crossed the finish line in Washington Square Park across the street from the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. He was accompanied by his travelling companions Timothy Romanini and Michela Ghinelli who had accompanied him on his entire journey.

Matteo Rinaldi—Mr. Valbonesi’s friend from Forlì— surprised him just a mile before the finish line. Also in tow were Mr. Valbonesi’s other friends, Chiara Manzo and Eleonora Alessio.
The group was greeted at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club by past-president Gianrico Claudio Pierucci, the Consul General of Italy, the Honorable Fabrizio Marcelli, and Nickolas Marinelli from the Italian Cemetery.
“At the Italian Cemetery,” said Mr. Marinelli, “we see the devastating effects of cancer every day. We have even seen the disease touch a member of our office family.

It is refreshing and inspiring to see this young man from Italy, who is literally going the extra mile to raise awareness and raise money for cancer research. The Italian Cemetery is proud to supch. Those wishing to help without having to walk 3,000 miles themselves, can do so by making a donation on Mr. Valbonesi’s website: http://run4 lifeusa.tumblr.com/contribuisci