There is Selim Ayach, who at the age of 16 saved an elderly woman from a heart attack by giving her a cardiac massage at the bus stop and who last May was among the flood victims to support them with the other Red Cross volunteers. There is Abderrahim Ben Rhouma, originally from Tunisia but resident in Cesena, who at just 13 years of age helped to welcome displaced people on their knees due to the floods that had made their homes uninhabitable in his city’s gym. And there is also the “genius” of IT platforms, Guido Betti. At 18 he had played a key role in the creation of a virtual portal which made it possible to organize the activities of more than 6 thousand volunteers in rescue operations for the population affected by the flood in Emilia Romagna.
Many second generation Italians
They are some of the 29 Standard Bearers of the Republic appointed by President Sergio Mattarella. Eight are from Emilia Romagna, many second generation Italians, most of them committed a year ago to lending a hand as volunteers to the communities affected by the floods in May. But not only, because among them there is also Emanuele Nicola Affatticati, who lives in Fiorenzuola D’Arda in the Piacenza area: he is originally from Romania and saved a woman from her violent ex-boyfriend who wanted to kill her. He was on the train and after hearing the voice of the man threatening his ex-girlfriend with death on the phone in Romanian, he immediately alerted the police. «For my son it is a great honor – he reiterates -: when we received the invitation we sat on the chairs: it is a very nice recognition and we welcomed it with pride», says his mother Ramona Rosemari. And there is also Nicole Minardi, resident in Parma, now 14 years old. «A brave girl suffering from Pan-Pandas syndrome, Unfortunately, this pathology is still little known. His experience pushed her to dedicate herself with all her energy to spreading knowledge about her syndrome to obtain recognition from the institutions and inclusion among rare diseases”, we read in a note from the Quirinale.
The Head of State and visits to Romagna
Of course, the President of the Republic, who has visited the cities of Romagna several times hit by the extreme events of last year and still struggling with the restart, once again wanted to underline its closeness to these territories (not only Emilia Romagna but also Tuscany, flooded last autumn). Valeria Frasca, an eighteen-year-old resident of Forlì, was also awarded for her solidarity and commitment demonstrated last spring in his city. «From the day immediately following the tragic flood that hit the city of Forlì and Romagna, Valeria had presented herself at the volunteer collection point set up in the neighborhood».
The story of Letizia and Matteo
The story of Letizia Galletti, nineteen, from Lugo di Romagna is almost moving: in the darkest days she sang to keep company, together with other volunteers to the elderly and children. But the story that most symbolizes what happened in Romagna is that of Matteo Violani who turned 18 on the day Mattarella awarded him the title of Standard Bearer. After shoveling the streets for a long time he was struck by an infection due to a bacterium taken from the mud. «But thanks to God and the national health system I was caught in time and healed – he says -. This experience also made me understand the great value of life and how important it is to spend every minute well.” It is the symbol of a population that has rolled up its sleeves risking paying a higher price than everyone believes he has already paid.
