Libellule: Supporting Women Through Breast Cancer

A breast cancer diagnosis can change far more than a woman’s health. It can reshape how she sees her future, feels about her body, navigates relationships and approaches everyday life. Alongside medical treatment come fears, questions and needs that may not always receive enough attention during care. This is where being heard, sharing experiences and having someone who understands can make a real difference.

Fondazione Libellule Insieme ETS grew out of this understanding. Since 2015, the organisation has supported women facing cancer, promoting physical and emotional wellbeing, preventive care and early detection.

Dr Paola Martinoni, a surgeon and founder of Fondazione Libellule Insieme ETS, shares the story behind the organisation and its purpose: turning her professional experience into a support network for women before, during and after cancer.

Caring for the Person Beyond the Disease

“When a woman faces cancer, treating the disease alone is not enough. We must also care for the person: her fears, her vulnerability and everything a cancer diagnosis inevitably changes in her life.”

This conviction inspired Dr Martinoni to establish Associazione Libellule ONLUS around ten years ago, in memory of Franca Veronesi. The aim was to create a place where women could find medical expertise alongside a listening ear, compassion and practical support.

Over the years, the organisation grew into Fondazione Libellule Insieme ETS, expanding its work through prevention initiatives, wellbeing programmes and a network of professionals, volunteers and supporters.

“Our name, Libellule — Italian for dragonflies — captures the deeper meaning of our work: transformation, finding balance again and being able to look towards the future, even after a difficult experience.”

“No woman should ever feel defined solely by her illness,” Martinoni stresses.

The Less-Spoken-About Fears of Breast Cancer

Fear is often the first response to a cancer diagnosis. It is not only fear of the disease or its treatment, but also uncertainty about what will happen to life as a whole.

“A cancer diagnosis comes suddenly and shakes certainties that, until that moment, may have seemed unshakeable,” Martinoni explains.

Alongside questions about treatment come concerns about family, work, relationships and identity.

A woman’s relationship with her body may change. Femininity and sexuality can become difficult subjects to discuss. At times, even imagining the future can feel overwhelming.

“In my experience, one of the deepest needs is to be heard and given clear information. Women need to understand what is happening, feel supported in their decisions and know they will not have to face everything alone,” she adds.

Finding Yourself Again Beyond Treatment

After months of appointments, tests and treatment, returning to familiar routines is not always straightforward. The body may have changed, as may a woman’s sense of self and her relationships with others.

“Our aim is to offer support that recognises the whole woman, not just her diagnosis.”

“Fondazione Libellule Insieme is committed to supporting women before, during and after cancer, recognising that returning to everyday life can itself be a complex journey.”

The aim is not to ask women to forget what they have been through, but to help them reconnect with a sense of who they are beyond their experience of cancer.

The Strength of Shared Experience

For someone facing cancer, putting feelings into words is not always easy. Anxiety before a follow-up appointment, uncertainty about the future or distress over changes to the body can be difficult to explain to someone who has not had a similar experience.

“Meeting someone who has been through something similar can help women feel understood without having to explain everything. Sometimes a few words, a gesture or simply the presence of someone willing to listen is enough,” Martinoni says.

This is what makes the Foundation’s volunteers so valuable. Many have experienced cancer themselves.

“It is one of the most rewarding aspects of our volunteers’ work: turning a difficult personal experience into a source of support for other women.”

From Patient to Volunteer

For Paola Martinoni, the Foundation’s impact is reflected not in one defining moment, but in the many small changes she has witnessed over the years.

“I think of the women who first come to us frightened and withdrawn in their pain, and who gradually rediscover the desire to take part, meet others and make time for themselves again.”

Among the experiences that move her most are those of women who, after receiving support, decide to become volunteers themselves.

This transition captures the purpose of the project: over time, an experience of vulnerability can become an opportunity to reach out to someone else.

“When I see these relationships develop, I know Libellule Insieme is fulfilling the purpose it was founded for: creating a community where no woman has to feel alone.”

Beyond Pink October: Breast Health Matters All Year Round

During Pink October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Martinoni highlights the importance of keeping up with breast checks beyond the annual campaign.

“Breast health should be a priority throughout the year, not just in October.”

Early detection can identify breast cancer at an early stage, improving the chances of timely intervention and, in many cases, allowing for less invasive treatment.

During Pink October 2026, Fondazione Libellule Insieme promoted a free mammography programme for women aged 40 to 45 and those over 74. According to the Foundation, these age groups fall outside Lombardy’s standard regional screening programme.

The initiative was designed to widen access to early detection, including for women who may face greater barriers to getting screened.

Alongside free mammograms, the Foundation organised awareness activities and worked with organisations that chose to support its mission.

Access to Prevention, Strength Through Community

From diagnosis to the return to everyday life, from peer support to preventive health initiatives, Fondazione Libellule Insieme champions an approach to care that extends beyond treating disease.

Listening, human connection and access to services are central to this approach. It puts the person first, recognising her needs and vulnerabilities without defining her by a diagnosis.

Paola Martinoni sums up this vision in a message to all women, including those who have never experienced cancer:

“We should not wait for symptoms before taking care of ourselves. Preventive care means taking responsibility for our health and our future. It should never be a privilege, but a right available to every woman.”