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The right approach is freedom,
freedom of thought,

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the firm belief that if a thought
takes a direction,

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that we consider right,
we have to ignore past rules.

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This is very difficult to accept,

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the main, natural rule
that we all follow to live well...

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is conformism. We find conformism
in medicine, too,

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even in research,

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which means following the dominant
ideas, with little variation.

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I think, instead, that we need
to leave the common thought.

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I am a maverick,

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I try to break the rules,
whenever possible,

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the wrong rules, of course.

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Until the 60s, if a woman
had breast cancer,

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the rule was to radically and
completely remove the breast,

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together with lymph nodes,
followed by radiotherapy,

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the arm would become
disastrously big.

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I rebelled against this massacre.

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I developed an idea, a method,
a technical ability,

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to solve the problems of cancer
with a small operation,

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leaving the breast intact.

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At that time, mastectomy was
an untouchable and absolute dogma,

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it was scientifically safe,

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it was proven
that it was necessary.

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I dared to suggest
a very radical alternative.

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In the end I succeeded in
knocking down that idea,

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after some days, thanks to
the help of a very smart American,

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I obtained a permit,
just a permit,

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to start a study,
a very complex study,

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that I continued for 10 years,

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comparing women who
had a mastectomy,

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with those who just
had the small operation.

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It took me 10 years,
I haven't slept for 10 years,

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I was terrified I was wrong.
But in the end, 10 years later,

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we studied the results,
and I was right.

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It was a difficult period
for the country,

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the Red Brigades were
a significant phenomenon in Italy,

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the future could have taken
that direction,

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and Milan was significantly hit.

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They threatened the medical director
of the Policlinico hospital,

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and then the director
of the Niguarda hospital.

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One day, I arrived at the hospital
and I saw my secretaries crying,

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because they had opened a letter,

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and referring to me it said:
"You are a walking corpse",

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with the star of the Red Brigades.
It was a clear, meaningful message.

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I didn't place
much importance on it,

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but I started receiving calls
from an unknown person,

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every night, at 1 am.
I had my phone number changed,

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but the calls would not stop.
I changed it again and it went on.

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Then I went to a police
commissioner, a friend of mine,

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and I explained the situation,
he said they couldn't do anything,

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a security detail
wouldn't make much sense,

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and he suggested
I changed my routine.

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I had to go out at different times,

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to go to the hospital
every other day,

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to sleep somewhere else, at times,
in a hotel for instance.

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Having a life in which
they couldn't take me by surprise,

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they couldn't calculate
a possible moment to attack.

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That's what I did,
my life radically changed,

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not for a long time, 6 or 8 months,
then everything was solved.

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I wouldn't say it was fun,
but it was interesting,

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a sort of mouse and cat game.