Prof. G Basso's lab was born more than twenty years ago, when we were few people attracted from his enthusiasm and strength, all together working in few small rooms. In that moment, our organization was following him step by step, from the microscope to flow cytometry, looking inside each case, discussing and at the end of the day... he loudly proclaimed "Day by day we slowly learned to make a leukemia diagnosis".

All of us have always been pervaded by his scientific approach that was clean, pure, and fascinating, and we felt that nothing for him was impossible. For this, we always trusted him and in his methods. Basso strongly believed that if you work hard you can do everything and reach the maximum. We were trained with this science concept, he pushed himself and us always beyond limits. We were inspired from him, his positivity was so contagious, and his identity was so strong that you could not desire more than being like him, trying to defeat cancer with his attitude. During our lab-life he was interested in our work but he silently entered our soul and personality. He supported each of us once in life, in bad and happy moments. He was so sensible to capture a bad feeling, a problem a regret. In the meanwhile, he was also mentoring our life.

Time passed, we were ten, then twenty, then thirty ... and more than forty, we had a tower for work, we became a big international lab, and at certain point we were those of Basso's lab all around the world. Basso was proud to integrate research into the daylife clinic, he was a pioneer in supporting basic science for changing life expectation of children with cancer, and he kept us always walking at his side. The success of one was of everyone, a cover became a T-shirt he proudly wore, an accepted paper, a grant, a fellowship a happy party all together.

He was not only a man of science he was funny, elegant, ironic and never ordinary. He enjoyed life at maximum, he loved food and wine, sports and telling his stories. He loved mountains, climbing and reaching the top. He was a free racer. He wanted free people around him, sharp minds and hard workers. We are those of Basso, proud to continue the road he traced for us.

He was an icon, he will be an icon for us forever, and for the eternity for pediatric oncology.

Thank you Prof.
Your Lab.