Sinisa Mihajlovic's fight against leukemia is not over yet. The Bologna manager announced that he will return to the hospital for another round of treatment against the same cancer that changed his life since the summer of 2019, when he firstly told the world about his terrible story.
Mihajlovic, who has managed the Italian side since 2019, explained Saturday morning during an unexpected press conference a new update about his fight, saying that this time will be different.
"As you know, I cyclically carry out very in-depth analyses after I was struck by high-risk myeloid leukemia two-and-a-half years ago," he said. "You all know the path that led me to a bone marrow transplant. In these years my recovery was excellent, but these diseases are subtle and bastards. From the latest analyses some alarm bells have emerged and there could be a risk of a reappearance of the disease. To prevent this from happening, I was advised to undertake a therapeutic path.
"This time I will not enter the fight like two-and-a-half years ago. You can see that this disease is very courageous to still want to go back to facing someone like me. If the first lesson wasn't enough, we'll give him another one. I know I'm in good hands. Unlike two-and-a-half years ago when I barely managed to hold back the tears, this time you see me more peaceful. I know what I have to do and above all my situation is very different from what it was then," he said.
The 53-year-old has been fighting since 2019, when he underwent three cycles of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant during his first battle with thee disease. It was a challenging moment for Mihajlovic, who never left his job at Bologna and continued to work remotely and also attending matches whenever he could make it. His assistants and staff worked to cope his absence.
It was remarkable when he showed on the bench for the first fixture of the Serie A season 2019-20 against Hellas Verona, only 44 days he entered the hospital for the first time to undergo the first cycle of chemotherapy. He said after that he did it because he made a promise to his team beforehand and he desperately wanted to fulfill his promise even against the advices from doctors.
This time he's likely to miss some other clashes in the last part of the Serie A season and this might be also his last one with Bologna after some disagreements with Canadian owner Joey Saputo. At the end of the current season both parties will sit down to discuss their future with Bologna now 12th in the Serie A table. But now most importantly, Mihajlovic needs to win again his fight against leukemia.
