In the pool she is the last bastion of Setterosa (the Italian women’s water polo team) against the attacks of the opposing team. Now, Giulia Viacava is involved in an even tougher match: defending the residents in a care home in Genoa (Italy) offering them assistance and comfort.
The choice to work in a care home is not common for a girl of 25. But for Giulia, it was a no-brainer: “I thought about my three-year degree in nursing and I said to myself: what am I doing here? I can’t train and I don’t want to be useless at a time like this. I have a skill, so let’s use it” she told Corriere.it.
In fact, her experience as a water polo player is also proving very useful for dealing with this new challenge. Where it helps to have the physique of an athlete and a strong mental power to handle the exhausting work shifts: “I didn’t expect it to be so strenuous. Today, I don’t think I have sat down once from 7 in the morning to 9 in the evening, and I can’t wait to go to bed. But, as well as being physically fit, it is also important to be mentally fit so you can maintain a balance and a composure and keep your brain working. It may seem strange, but even having water polo game plans in my head and being used to drawing them up is useful”:
Giulia continues to fight, day and night, with the same determination and enthusiasm as always, for her new ‘team mates’: “I see my grandparents in them. Our grandparents have done and given so much all their lives and now it is time for us to give something back”.