“We know where the money goes and we see the help they give to families and children.”

The ONLUS ‘Quelli che… con Luca’ will always have a place close to Serena’s heart.

Her son Davide is one of many youngsters around the world who are diagnosed with leukaemia – the most common type of cancer in children and Italy’s second-biggest cause of death among kids after road accidents.

But thanks to the Como 1907-backed charity, set up by Andrea Ciccioni after he lost his son Luca to the disease in 2011, Davide is chasing his dream of becoming a carpenter.

Serena said: “Davide had leukaemia and was the first child in Italy to have an experimental cure and then the transplant.”

“We met a doctor in a hospital who introduced us to the association, and we have always supported it. We are proud of this association.”

Last year Como 1907 donated proceeds from home matches played against Benevento, Venezia and Bari to the non-profit organization “Quelli che con…Luca,” along with sales from the pop-up shop in Piazza Duomo in the December-January period.

There was also, thanks to help from fans’ group Pesi Massimi, a further donation following the sale of scarves outside the home win over Ternana at the end of the campaign.

There was also, thanks to help from fans’ group Pesi Massimi, a further donation following the sale of scarves outside the home win over Ternana at the end of the campaign.

It was Alessandro Giummo, Pesi Massimi president, who brought Como and ‘QCCL’* together.

Now dedicated supporters of the charity, the club has thrown more weight behind it by handing over sponsorship of the away jersey, with ‘Quelli che… con Luca ONLUS’ written across the front of the shirt. Profits from the sales of the jersey will also go towards the fight to find a cure.

Serena said: “Seeing an association right on this jersey is important, because we see the donations they give in the hospital, and we know the importance. The more we publicise it, the more funds we can give to the research.

The money raised helped buy a ‘Seahorse Analyzer’, a machine that studies cell metabolism.

“Thanks to the support of the Como Family, our new equipment, the Seahorse, is now fully operational. The doctors have received the necessary training to use this innovative technology for the study of cellular metabolism. Together with my team, we are making progress in the battle against myeloid leukaemias, exploring new molecules for treatment.”, said Dr Sarah Tettamanti, a Researcher at Monza Hospital who leads the research project supported by ‘QCCL’*.
“Thanks to this innovative machinery, research against myeloid leukaemias can truly take giant steps forward,” says Dr Savino, also working on the project.
Luca passed away after a battle with acute myeloid leukaemia. His father then founded the ONLUS to fund research for cellular immunotherapy with CAR-T cells.

In the past, drugs were administered to kill cells or stop them multiplying and if children did not respond, a second option was bone marrow transplant. There was no third option until 2012, since molecular therapy has been in the research phase.

And since 2016, thanks to CAR-T infusion, 70% of patients with leukaemia acute lymphoblastic went into remission. The project also aims to target acute myeloid leukaemia.

So, significant strides are being made towards winning the fight against childhood cancer.

Away from the hospital laboratories, a study has been submitted to regulatory authorities for lymphoma treatment.

“The next step is to take our studies to the Italian regulatory bodies so that CAR-T treatment becomes a real and valid option,” explains Dr Tettamanti.

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Davide and Serena live in Livigno in Lombardy near Bormio, where Como 1907 were put through their paces in pre-season training.

It was there that, again with the help of Pesi Massimi, Davide met the players and left with a special souvenir.

“It was exciting. I was lucky enough to get an autographed jersey from everyone. Not everyone can have this honour.”

Looking to the future, Davide added: “My dream is to go on with my passion – wood, building things and making things. And to continue playing sports because I really like it. Standing still is not for me.”