Polonara: "My daughter understood everything. I'll never forget the video call with the Mihajlovic family."

In the face of illness, Achille Polonara has never stopped being a father, husband, and teammate. After two months of hospitalization, his return home—although for now to Valencia, not Bologna—was an explosion of emotions. Now he looks forward, with determination and love. Achille Polonara is facing, for the second time in a few months, a very tough battle . After being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2023, last May he received news no one ever wants to hear: acute myeloid leukemia . From that moment, everything changed. But not his strength. His return home, documented by a moving video, showed the more human side of this champion: two small children holding him in an overwhelming embrace after a month and a half away. No words, only tears, smiles.

Polonara returns home, a touching welcome from the children of the basketball player suffering from leukemia.

The video of the hug with the children

“The video came about spontaneously,” Achille told Corriere della Sera. “Erika said to me: ‘Wait in the car.’ Then they pounced on me. After so long without seeing them, it was wonderful.” His children, Achille Jr. (3 years old) and Vitoria (almost 5), didn’t know their father was in the hospital. But children hear, they understand. And Vitoria more than anyone. During a video call, she noticed that her father had lost his hair and said to her mother, in a serious tone: “You lied to me. If he’s lost his hair, it means he’s in as bad a condition as he was last time.”

Another climb to tackle

The diagnosis came in Bologna, at Sant'Orsola Hospital. "From absolute darkness to terror," she recalls, "even the doctors struggled to find the words. When you hear the word 'leukemia,' you only truly understand how hard it is when you start treatment." And it wasn't easy: constant IVs, antibiotics, nausea, days spent confined to a bed. To increase her chances of recovery, Polonara chose to move to Valencia, where she immediately gained access to an experimental tablet therapy, not yet available in Italy. After an initial round of chemotherapy, she began treatment with pills. The second round is scheduled for August 4th, after which she will return to Bologna for a bone marrow transplant.

A network of affection

On this difficult journey, he's not alone. By his side is his wife Erika, "my life," as he calls her. Six years of marriage, a solid love, a companion who never leaves him. "She spurs me on, keeps me going in the darkest moments. She has incredible strength." And then there are his friends, his Virtus Bologna teammates who visited him in the hospital with the Scudetto Cup, and the entire Italian basketball community. Coach Gianmarco Pozzecco writes to him every day. Marco Spissu, his great friend, calls him constantly. And even people he's never met before, like the family of Sinisa Mihajlovic, who fought leukemia in Bologna: his wife Arianna and children wanted to express their support at such a difficult time via video call. "I'm overwhelmed by incredible affection. This gives me strength. The people, the fans, my friends: they're helping me fight."

The emotions of the evening, the music and a promise

Achille doesn't hide the difficult moments. "Sometimes darkness comes in the evening. I can't hold back the tears, especially when I listen to certain songs." One in particular, which has become the soundtrack to his battle: "Il mio giorno più bello nel mondo" by Francesco Renga. A hymn to life, family, and love. And then there's a phrase that guides him every day. It doesn't come from a doctor or a motivational speaker. It comes from his little girl: "I always want to see you smiling." This, today, is the most powerful medicine for Achille Polonara.