“This summer I hit rock bottom mentallyI’m in great depressionjust when I thought I was out of the hardest part of my oncology journey, I found myself facing the hardest part mentally.” It is with this very clear statement that I Bianca Balti he said to Vanity Fair The story, held at Giorgio Gaber’s Teatro Lirico in Milan, belonged to him “new normal” after his illness. Models performing on stage with teachers Gabriella Pravettoni (director of the Psycho-Oncology Division of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan), explains how the struggle to defeat the tumor was followed by an unexpected emotional collapse, which could only be resolved thanks to psycho-oncology.
The model has reconstructed the development of his difficult mental journey. Initially, the diagnosis triggered reactive forces: “When I was diagnosed with a tumor, its urgency has brought out enormous strength in meI’m ready to do whatever it takes, I have courage and strength I didn’t know I had.” Her mistake, she admits, was comparing her present with her past: “But, little by little, true normality has set in, it’s everyday life, but unlike before, everything has changed and I’m not ready for this, I don’t know how to deal with it“. The depression that set in between June and August, just when her illness was already in remission, prompted her to step away from social media in search of answers in silence. “After the emergency was over, I found myself in a very difficult situation.”
To overcome depression, the model realized that she needed specialist help. Although the support network was still there – “all my support structure, my friends, my boyfriend, my family, everyone who had helped me during treatment was still there” – it wasn’t enough. “What saved my life was a psycho-oncologist“, explains Balti. After undergoing a course of psychotherapy and having a past of substance addiction, the model chose to refuse pharmacological help. The key to rebirth came from seemingly banal but basic advice: “The first thing my psycho-oncologist did in the first session was suggested that I think about something else, don’t obsess over the painconsidering I just had surgery.” He continued: “In other words, I know this seems trivial, something obvious, but when said at the right time and by a professional, it has enormous power. Live life to the fullest, based on ‘if it makes you feel good, do it‘, it really helped me.”
Based on her experience, Bianca Balti decided to collaborate with Professor Pravettoni to launch a mental health project specifically dedicated to people facing cancer. His path leads him to a new awareness of the present: “The key to happiness, and this is an ongoing effort, is to try to accept the present, to seeing gratitude even in adversity. I didn’t expect that my life would turn out this way and sometimes I have my share of breakdowns, but the reality is that we have this strength within.” The model ends with a reflection on resilience: “The more adversity we face in life, the greater our opportunities to show ourselves how strong we are and in my case, the many adversities I have experienced have given me the opportunity to build this resilience that I have within.”
