A rare blood group, only two compatible donors in all of Italy – one in Veneto, the other in Calabria – and the need to act quickly. Responding to the doctors’ request for a small patient at the Morelli hospital in Reggio Calabria was the Calabrian donor: Pasquale Faga, an Army graduate serving in Messina in the 5th «Aosta» Regiment, led by Colonel Roberto Pace.
The emergency donation close to August 15th
The first donation dates back to last summer, a few days before August 15th, when an urgent donation became necessary to provide continuity to the little girl’s hospital care. To answer the call, the note released today reports, the soldier sacrificed personal commitments and part of his holidays.
That first intervention was followed by a stable commitment: the graduate also donated on subsequent occasions and will do so for as long as deemed useful by the doctors. A reassurance also for the little girl’s family, who can count on her full availability.
Because we need constant donors
The story, we read in the note, was also an opportunity to raise awareness, especially among young people, of the need for constant and continuous donations. Hospitals need it not only for seasonal peaks and for the ordinary activity of the departments, but above all to register the greatest possible number of donors with a high degree of compatibility with patients: a condition that increases the possibility of treatment without having to move to facilities outside the region.
Despite Avis’s commitment to collecting blood and raising awareness, which has also been supported by the women and men of the Army for some time, there is no shortage of critical situations.