The journey of Valeria Firpo, 51 years old, from Genoa who has been suffering from ALS for nine years, began with a simple but very powerful sign: “Welcome Valeria”, written on a yellow background in the Rsa Casa Del Duca in Portoferraio. A gesture that marked the beginning of an experience awaited for years, that of visiting the Island of Elba, a place that the woman wanted to know to breathe the sea and experience its atmosphere.
Arriving on the island after an ambulance transfer from Genoa to Piombino, Valeria reached Portoferraio thanks also to the support of the Blu Navy company, which guaranteed free passage of the medical vehicle. A complex journey, organized in detail, which transformed a personal dream into a shared journey. Next to her, four friends – Enrica, Erika, Michela and Lucia – all involved in the association “A revising the stars”, which she herself helped to found. A group that made possible an experience designed to interrupt, even for just a few days, the routine imposed by the disease.
A solidarity network that makes the impossible possible
The “Vale’s dream” project was born from the meeting between Valeria and the musician Emiliano Toso, and developed thanks to the Differently Sani association, which coordinated a complex logistical and healthcare support system. The contribution of local public assistance, coordinated by Anpas Toscana Elba area, is also fundamental.
The stay on the island, from 10 to 14 May, was organized as a true process of widespread reception: volunteers, associations and health workers guaranteed continuous assistance, without burdening a single entity but distributing responsibilities in a supportive network. The Anpas coordinator, Jonathan Gani, underlined precisely this shared model, built to make a complex experience possible without transforming it into a burden for the local system. A concrete example of collaboration between institutions and citizens.
Days on the island between meetings, music and regained normality
During her stay on Elba, Valeria experienced intense moments between Portoferraio, Porto Azzurro and Campo nell’Elba, accompanied by activities designed to restore her feeling of normality. Walks, meetings with the local community and moments of sharing marked the days. The connection with music is particularly significant: a private concert by Emiliano Toso is planned in the Rsa and participation in the “La Musica del Cuore” event at the Teatro dei Vigilanti. Music as an emotional space, capable of creating connections even in conditions of physical fragility. The island’s welcome was described as widespread and spontaneous, with an involvement that went beyond the organizational dimension to become collective participation. A journey that, more than a simple visit, turned into a shared experience.
A return that leaves a mark beyond the journey
Valeria’s experience was not just a parenthesis in her daily life marked by ALS, but a project built around the right to live desires and relationships despite the disease. The trip to the Island of Elba thus represents a model of concrete inclusion, where solidarity is not just a principle but an operational network made up of people, means and shared will. An example that transformed a personal dream into a collective experience destined to leave a trace.
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