A Special Story

Michela, a young woman with Prader-Willi syndrome. is getting married in October this year to Roberto. It all began by chance at the New Year’s Eve party on 31 December, 2007 when, in celebrating the coming of the new year, they met. Michela and Roberto did not know each other until then, but they both belonged to the same sports club where Michela practiced swimming, and Robert tennis-table, but for various reasons neither had seen the other.

"A party where,” says Roberto, “we were one of 20 athletes from the club among friends and others; one of those lucky chances.  Most of these guys at the party were from the PHB POL Bergamo non-profit organization where both Michela and I do competitive sports.”

While there he was enjoying singing and dancing, “then, I saw Michela and, believe it or not, we were sitting at the same tavolata but we had not even introduced.  There she was sitting all alone while the others were having fun, so I said at once, ‘you can’t not have fun!’”

“Then I went over to her and asked her to dance, and after a few attempts I managed to convince her and that was the start to our wonderful story.  We went with some friends to have breakfast in the morning and later, I jokingly told her not to go home and say that had found a boyfriend, but really it was so!”

“Then we began to go out; I knew her parents, both lovely people who welcomed me immediately.  We were all going carefully and slowly; Michela met my parents (she has a soft spot for my dad), so our story went on.

“Hand in hand together we faced all the difficulties we had to encounter (difficulty dealing mainly with the food, but also the fact that, however, I could not leave her alone) and thanks to her and my parents, we have every time  tackled every difficulty , resolving them without drama but with the understanding that we would always have to resolve them.

After three and a half years of engagement where Roberto and Michela  continued to get to know each other, share the same sport, do the same activities with the same enjoyment, they began their life together.

Roberto, who works as a surveyor, has renovated the apartment according to their needs where they have lived for one-and-a-half years already, in their made-to-measure apartment

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Michela is a multi-champion of Italian swimming and table-tennis and competes to have fun while Roberto says, "I really like to share all the emotions she feels and be close to her in every moment of her life and be able to make her happy.  For me it is my real victory in my life, and I know that the day has come that is the beginning of a life unique and special just like Michela is.”