“Calabria has never forgotten the example of little Nicholas and the gesture of love from his parents, who represent the guiding light in the constant search for redemption of our region and of all honest Calabrians”. Thus the Regional Health Guarantor, Anna Maria Stanganellispeaking at the three-day “Donarte” International Congress on organ donation, underway in Messina, coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Nicholas Greeen, prematurely taken from life on 29 September 1994 by criminal hands, while on holiday in Italy with his parents, he was crossing the Salerno-Reggio Calabria road by car, fatally hit by a bullet in an attempted robbery near the Mileto junction. On the opening day of the event organized by the University of Messina, moderated by Professor Mazzeo, in addition to the Guarantor Stanganelli and the parents of Nicholas, Reginald and Maggie, among others, the Mayor of Messina, Federico Basile, attended; the Bishop, HE Cesare Di Pietro; the director of the Intensive Care Unit of the AOU G. Martino of Messina, prof. Anthony David; the Director General of the National Transplant Center, Dr. Giuseppe Feltrin; the prof. Deepak Gupta, professor of neurosurgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and JPN Apex Trauma Center in New Delhi; the prof. Eugenio Cucinotta, Vice Rector, who brought greetings from the University and the G. Martino University Hospital, where the organs of the little American child were removed on 1 October 1994. Stanganelli, addressing the speakers’ table and the large audience of the rectorate’s main hall, after having illustrated the tasks and functions of the Health Guarantor, a figure established for the first time in Calabria and which has become an institutional reference for citizens, associations and staff doctor on the subject of health and social – health care, focused on the importance of donation, a topic on which it is essential to raise awareness, especially among young people, through targeted initiatives. In this regard, the Guarantor recalled that in the Calabria region, after the sacrifice of Nicholas, numbers and data demonstrate that in the field of donation, much has been done, but much still remains to be done. Precisely for this reason, Stanganelli announced that on the occasion of an upcoming event to be held in the Regional Council, in which the Green spouses and the director of the National Transplant Center will take part, a competition of ideas and projects will be established aimed at students of the institutes Calabrian superiors, in memory of Nicholas, on the culture of giving and on combating all forms of illegality. On the sidelines of his speech, Stanganelli presented Reginald and Maggie Green with a plaque to commemorate the memory of Nicholas, who over the years as a child became a symbol of giving. “Thirty years after his tragic death, the memory of Nicholas – we read in the motivations – still lives in the hearts of those who received his gift. Through the generosity of his family – the plaque continues to read – his short life lit a light of hope for many. An eternal symbol of love, altruism and solidarity, his story has inspired millions of people to believe in the power of life that is renewed through organ donation. His sacrifice – this is the final comment – changed the world, his memory will continue to do so”. Stanganelli did not hide his emotion and pride at being able to shake the hands of Nicholas’ parents and represent the whole of Calabria on this special day. “Today – highlighted the Guarantor – all honest Calabrians, those who believe that a change for our land is possible, are ideally close to Nicholas’ parents, simply by exercising their duty. A thin thread links Calabria and Sicily, two wonderful regions which historically, from the ashes of pain due to atrocious and brutal crimes, have been able to revive the seed of hope, a bond that is strengthened through the face of this child, whose smile will always remain engraved in heart of all of us.”
John
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