A married father collapsed and died in front of his wife and four children after feeling weak following a blood donation.
Paolo Accorroni gave blood for the first time at a charitable organisation on Saturday (21 Mar) morning and immediately signed up to be a regular donor.
He returned home feeling a little weak, which his family assumed was nothing serious and simply a normal reaction to giving blood.
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Paolo, 49, lay down on his bed to rest.
He was head of the parish scouts and was due to meet the group that afternoon before heading to his son Mattia’s football match at 6pm.
He got up at around lunchtime but quickly lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor.
His terrified children could only look on helplessly as their distraught mother, Nadia, called emergency services.
When paramedics arrived at the family home in Filottrano, Italy, they found Paolo in cardiac arrest, as reported by Need To Know.
They administered CPR for 40 minutes, but their efforts were ultimately in vain, and his body was taken to a funeral home.
Paolo worked for a road construction company.
A judo sensei, he also volunteered with the civil protection emergency response team.
Local football club Filottranese, where Paolo was heavily involved, cancelled that evening’s match against Portuali Calcio Ancona.
Club president Enzo Pittura said: “We will try to cancel tomorrow’s sporting commitments as well, as a sign of support for our player Mattia, but also out of respect for his father.
“Mattia called me immediately after the tragedy. We are all in shock. Paolo was a wonderful man.”
Filottranese added: “So many away trips and matches together, always on those stands with a smile and the determination to be there at all costs.”
Paolo was laid to rest in Filottrano on Tuesday (24 Mar).
He is survived by his wife, his parents, his four teenage sons, his brother, and his two sisters.
The precise cause of death has not been confirmed.
Local media simply report that he died of a “sudden illness”.
Filottrano mayor Luca Paolorossi said: “We remember him as an avid reader of our Vallesina.TV site, liking posts about his beloved Filottranese – even in defeat – and leaving comments that were often witty, but never over the top.
“Safe journey, Paolo.”
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