been severely damaged . He was alive and this was wonderful , but the road to recovery would be long and hard . There were many questions but for Giulia there was only one that really worried her , “ would he still be the energetic and full of life man I knew before the accident ?”
“ Why me ?”, shrugs Luca , suggesting that a realisation comes while you ’ re laying in a hospital bed . “ You have just two options ; either spend your days complaining about your situation and asking self-defeating questions or you realise you have received the gift of time to reflect and make some considerations about yourself and your life .”
Most of the people around Luca focused on the fact that he was still alive and that " he ’ d had a good run ", although most understood that although lucky , his life would certainly change .
“ One thought struck me when I woke up from intensive care ,” he says . “ I realised I had no regrets . I could have died , and it was a relief to realise that I had left no stone unturned .
With dozens of broken bones , recovery would take a long time , yet Luca had no idea how long , yet he still felt lucky .
“ It is true that the brain tends to forget the pain experienced ,” shrugs Luca . “ Yet if I concentrate , I can recall it , it was excruciating .”
Luca continues that , " with a string of pain killers and self determination ", he was able to overcome it . His main concern was the left foot , it had been crushed , he wasn ’ t surprised when doctors told him that he would need to have his leg amputated below the knee .
“ I ' ve always been a very practical person ,” he goes on . “ But honestly , I was amazed at my lucidity , a brief reflection was enough to understand that it was the best thing to do . However , it took a long time for the amputation to be done .”
Luca had to go through 40 surgeries , to access , inspect and repair the many fractures , a year later his leg was still a part of his body .
“ I started walking again and it improved slightly ,” he explains . “ But my autonomy was limited . Only after three years , in 2019 , all doctors came together and agreed that amputation was indeed the only solution .”
During these three years , many other things occurred . Giulia was by Luca ’ s side and as he says , “ with a disarming spontaneity , her trust in me was an incentive for my recovery ”.
Instead of separating them , the experience had brought them closer and whilst waiting for surgery , in September of 2018 the pair were married .
Luca ’ s passion for motorcycles never dimmed , he didn ’ t blame them for the accident , in fact he used the motivation to ride again as a way of saving his life , re-
TRAVERSE 101