FightTheStroke shows Cerebral Palsy is not for the weak
Launching for World Cerebral Palsy Day, More Than Palsy created by DUDE Milan in collaboration with slam poet Jack Hunter, highlights the fighting spirit of people living with the condition.
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It is thought that between 17-50 million people globally live with cerebral palsy, it remains an underrepresented and neglected disability, with even major reports unable to confirm the exact numbers.
To raise global awareness of the condition and drive donations, FightTheStroke has launched More Than Palsy. The foundation, based in Italy and connected to an international network, promotes the rights of young stroke survivors and people living with cerebral palsy. The campaign highlights the incredible effort required to live with this disability in a world built by non-disabled people.
Launched in advance of World Cerebral Palsy Day on 6 October, More Than Palsy was created by DUDE Milan in collaboration with Scottish actor, playwright and CP advocate Jack Hunter, who is living with cerebral palsy himself. Inspired by Hunter’s slam poem You've Got to be Ballsy to have Cerebral Palsy, the campaign paints an authentic picture of the challenges faced by the cerebral palsy community through their own stories: a stark reminder that life with cerebral palsy is not for the weak - it takes strength to be a disabled person in a non-disabled world. The film also features Mario, the son of the organisation’s founders Francesca Fedeli and Roberto D'Angelo, who is living with cerebral palsy.
Credits
View on- Agency DUDE/Milan
- Production Company Broga's
- Director Broga's
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Credits
View on- Agency DUDE/Milan
- Production Company Broga's
- Director Broga's
- DP Broga's
- Editing Broga's
- Partner Livio Basoli
- Chief Creative Officer Livio Basoli
- Partner Lorenzo Picchiotti
- Chief Creative Officer Lorenzo Picchiotti
- Associate Creative Director Ilaria Biani
- Associate Creative Director Cecilia Rocchetta
- Director of Production (HP) Matteo Pecorari
- Head of Production (HP) Simone Raddi
- Senior Producer Maria Chiara Muglia
- Producer Irene Taverna
- Producer Vincenzo Perrotta
- Post Production Director Seba Morando
- Post Producer Silvia Brigoli
- Junior Producer Gabriele Lippi
- Editor Alessandro Menotti
- Colorist Giorgia Meacci
- Sound Designer Tommaso Porro
- Audio Mixer Tommaso Porro
- Music Tommaso Porro
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency DUDE/Milan
- Production Company Broga's
- Director Broga's
- DP Broga's
- Editing Broga's
- Partner Livio Basoli
- Chief Creative Officer Livio Basoli
- Partner Lorenzo Picchiotti
- Chief Creative Officer Lorenzo Picchiotti
- Associate Creative Director Ilaria Biani
- Associate Creative Director Cecilia Rocchetta
- Director of Production (HP) Matteo Pecorari
- Head of Production (HP) Simone Raddi
- Senior Producer Maria Chiara Muglia
- Producer Irene Taverna
- Producer Vincenzo Perrotta
- Post Production Director Seba Morando
- Post Producer Silvia Brigoli
- Junior Producer Gabriele Lippi
- Editor Alessandro Menotti
- Colorist Giorgia Meacci
- Sound Designer Tommaso Porro
- Audio Mixer Tommaso Porro
- Music Tommaso Porro
At the heart of the campaign is a two-minute documentary-style film directed by filmmaking collective Broga’s, which features a new version of the slam poem, rewritten by Hunter to expand the story beyond his individual experience and performed in person. Juxtaposing shots from Hunter’s recital with real-life protagonists with cerebral palsy, cast from the network of families supported by FightTheStroke, the film mixes stills and video to powerfully convey the small yet incessant challenges that make up the daily life of a person with cerebral palsy - from the physical frustration at tying one’s shoelaces or trying to use a tampon, to the mental hardship of being bullied by “normies”. It closes with: ‘Do you have the spine to join the fight?’
Raw, powerful and bold, the film aims to both inspire people who have been living with cerebral palsy for years, as well inform future new parents about the existence of this condition and the support that FightTheStroke Foundation can offer.
The full-length version of the campaign film will run on Fight The Stroke’s website as well as across the foundation’s social channels including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and LinkedIn. A 30-second version, featuring the dubbed vocals of Italian rapper Moder, will also run on TV in Italy.
Francesca Fedeli, President of the FightTheStroke said: “When our son Mario was born in 2011 with a prognosis of Cerebral Palsy, friends began sending me the poem Welcome to Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley, which is still often shared today as a consolatory metaphor for being the parent of a child with a disability. But now, in 2025, that vision feels outdated: disability is not an ‘unexpected journey’ to be accepted with resignation, but a life condition that must be met with concrete tools, guaranteed rights, and full social participation.
It’s time to shift our perspective from consolation to the need for systemic change. That’s why, together with DUDE, we chose the sharp words of Jack Hunter’s slam poetry to deliver a collective message addressed to citizens and institutions around the world: ‘You’ve got to be ballsy to have cerebral palsy.’
The invitation to people living with this condition is to show others what they can and cannot do with cerebral palsy, in order to help change the disabling context - supported also by the FightTheStroke, which today assists more than 1,200 families in Italy and networks with other associations in over 60 countries worldwide.”
Lorenzo Picchiotti, CCO & Partner DUDE added: “When you take on such a delicate project, the first challenge is to avoid a superficial perspective. That’s why we started from Jack Hunter’s personal story and turned it into a collective manifesto.”
Livio Basoli, CCO & Partner DUDE continued: “Jack’s slam poetry allowed us to portray cerebral palsy without filters, in all its complexity, and to make it a symbol that speaks both to those who live with this condition and to those who are discovering it for the first time.”
