Francesca Fossato

  • Date of birth

    January 08th 1984

  • Region

    Piedmont

  • Prostheses

    Left leg under the knee

  • Sports discipline

    Sitting Volley

  • art4sport member

    Since 2020

Francesca’s story

Francesca was born on 8th January 1984 in Turin.

She has always loved sport since she was a child, practising swimming, tennis but above all volleyball and skiing. After high school she enrolled in the Faculty of Physiotherapy, graduating in 2006 with a thesis on the treatment of lower limb amputees in the pre-prosthetic phase and starting to work in hospitals in the neurological field.

On 8th July 2017, she was the victim of a road accident while riding a motorbike with her husband. The two were transported to hospital where, following a period of medically induced coma and an attempt to save the limb, Francesca had her left lower limb amputated below the knee.

As early as resuscitation, Francesca began to set herself clear goals: to reorganise the healing of her body using everything she had left and, above all, having confidence. Certainly the knowledge of her patients’ disabilities allowed her to start again, always with the support of her family and finding something positive even in the smallest daily things.

After her amputation, she got in touch with CIP Piedmont to get directions to try and do some activities. This is how she came to know about the existence of Sitting Volleyball. After overcoming her initial mistrust, she put into practice what she used to advise her patients: find a way to do things, but in a different way. She is now a member of the sitting volleyball club Fenera Chieri 76.

Francesca admires Alex Del Piero for his fairness and sportsmanship and Alex Zanardi for every smile.

In the short term she aims to prepare herself in the best possible way for the Paralympics in Tokyo to which the national team has qualified and in the long term she would like to become a reliable setter.

Francesca already knew art4sport before the accident because of her profession as a rehabilitator and when she went to Budrio (BO) to the orthopaedic company that follows her she met Teresa.

She has been a member of art4sport since 2020: she hopes that the association can offer her the opportunity to be inspired through the example of Paralympic athletes and through the professionals of fly2tokyo.

Francesca’s sports achievements

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (august 2021)

  • 6th place. She competes as setter for the national team.

Lorenzo FrigoFrancesco Imperio