Green June: Arianna, a karate champion

Since I was a child, I have always loved sports, so much so that I started practising karate at the age of 4. I certainly never imagined that just three years later I would find myself facing something bigger than myself: scoliosis.

I remember very well the first day I wore the brace; I wasn’t sad, I was just very confused. Initially, wearing a corset at school and in the gym didn’t bother me, but as I grew up, I started to feel the weight of other people’s judgement. Going to karate classes with a brace became increasingly difficult, especially because I felt limited and unable to give my all.

Despite this, my passion for karate was stronger than anything else, and despite being a child, I didn’t let scoliosis get me down.

The first satisfaction came from agonism competitions: at 12 years old, I won my first title as an Italian Karate champion, and, from that moment on, my motivation to train grew more and more. Shortly afterwards, however, as I entered adolescence, I began to feel embarrassed about having to wear the brace. I fell into a period of sadness that I couldn’t overcome: the races were going badly, and so was my mood. I got out of it thanks to my family and my karate teacher, who always supported me.

Karate was the strongest motivation that helped me overcome these difficulties and allowed me (and still allows me) to express myself. Once I got over that dark moment, I started winning again, but above all, I had fun during training and races. The results, in fact, did not take long to arrive, so much so that I won two more Italian championships in 2022 and 2024.

After seven years of sacrifices and sometimes difficult moments, my scoliosis has taught me how essential it is to get involved in life, not give up in the face of difficulties, and be tenacious and determined to achieve small and large goals.

Even if the path is not at all easy, I want to tell all the kids who, like me, are “braced” to never give up on their dreams.

I sincerely thank ISICO and, in particular, Dr. Zaina and my physiotherapist, Lorenza Vallini, who have taken care of me over the years. With their attention and professionalism, together with my sacrifices, today I can say that I am proud of my back.