Alessandro Antonicelli, personal trainer and online coach from Milan, died at the age of 26 due to chondroblastic osteosarcoma, an extremely rare form of bone cancer that affects only 0.2% of the population. The young man, followed by 159 thousand followers on Instagram with the nickname “Pettor_Ale”, had publicly shared his battle against the disease to raise public awareness.
The diagnosis and the story on social media
Two years ago, Alessandro received the diagnosis that would change his life. “The knee pain and chronic fatigue I had been feeling for over a year had nothing to do with my training,” he explained on social media. The news had arrived at a time of great plans: he had just moved to Milan to attend a master’s degree in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition at the University.
During the two years of his illness, Alessandro documented his experience daily through videos and posts, transforming his pain into a tool for raising awareness. “Life is always worth living” was the phrase chosen for his final farewell.
Who was Alexander
Graduated in biology from the University of Eastern Piedmont, Alessandro had dedicated his existence to sport: from football to swimming, from judo to weightlifting. In Milan he started his business as a personal trainer with Shape Fitness, where his philosophy was clear:
Every person has the potential to achieve great things with the right support, consistency and determination.
“Life is always worth living”
On October 8, Alessandro shared a touching message with his followers about the progression of the disease. He had been hospitalized for severe pain caused by spinal cord compression due to metastases, and had started a new therapy with Regorafenib and cortisone.
I’m losing a lot of pieces, but the ones I have left I try to hold on to,
he had written, holding on to loved ones and small moments of joy. Despite the pain and uncertainty, his message remained extraordinarily powerful:
Life is always worth living. Even when it hurts. Even when it seems to take everything away from you.
Alessandro invited us not to judge ourselves harshly and to reflect on how often we take things for granted: “Every outcome, ultimately, is the beginning of a new path. And as long as I have the strength to follow it, even one step at a time, I will continue to do so with my heart, with gratitude and with the hope that somewhere along the way there is still something beautiful waiting for me”.
Farewell and legacy
His family, girlfriend and friends announced his passing with a message on his Instagram profile: “Today the world is a little emptier: Ale flew away, free from pain, finding the peace he deserved.”
“I will come back stronger than before, it’s a promise,” Alessandro wrote to his followers when he announced the diagnosis. Although the disease had a different outcome, those who loved him promised to continue his “Fuck Cancer” project with the same determination that he showed: “It’s what he would have wanted, and it’s the truest way to keep him alive.”
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In a few hours, thousands of messages of condolence flooded his social media profiles, testimony to the impact his story had on those who followed him.
