«Sand one day I won’t walk anymore, will you still love me?”. Claudia’s universe is contained in this question, whispered with a hint of fear. Fifty-two years old, two children, a husband who is her rock and a diagnosis of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis which reminds her, every day, that time is a precious gift. Her husband said yes, with a firmness that transcends words, and from that moment their life became a hymn to resilience. «Despite the difficulties, I continue to do everything I did before, only while sitting» she says with a smile that lights up the room.
Claudia’s courage and that “yes” that challenges multiple sclerosis
For Claudia, the wheelchair is not a border, but a different point of view on the world. His is a daily life made up of challenges accepted with a moving determination: he has never stopped wanting to travel, to discover new places and to welcome every morning as an unexpected gift. «I feel a hunger for life that makes me even more dynamic than before», she confides, explaining how the awareness of an illness that could worsen over time pushed her not to waste even a second. When he enters the day center, Claudia not only brings with her her experience, but also a light that she gives to others: she knows that many are looking for her even just for a glance, and this fills her with joy. Feeling useful, being a point of reference for those who are worse off or have just received the diagnosis, has become his silent mission.
A gesture of responsibility: AISM week is the national week of legacies
«In that place I felt the warmth of humanity; I found people ready to make me feel special, even putting on makeup to give me back the pleasure of seeing myself beautiful” says Claudia. That center, however, did not arise from nothing: it is the fruit of a bequest from a family who chose to transform their pain into a resource for others. And it is precisely to fuel stories like Claudia’s that the National Week of Legacies of AISM, the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association, was born. A historic event, now twenty years old, which continues for this weekend too with volunteers, researchers and notaries united to explain how a charitable legacy is an instrument of freedom and responsibility.
The solidarity will has become a strategic resource to guarantee long-term assistance and scientific research for thousands of people (Getty)
The bequest, an important choice
«The bequest is a choice of trust in the future», states Francesco Vacca, president of AISM. Thanks to these donations, the association and its foundation, the FISM, Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, they can finance projects that change everyday life. The impact of a legacy can be felt first-hand in structures like the NeuroBRITE Research Centera cutting-edge center where motor and cognitive rehabilitation meets the development of smart devices. Why for the 144 thousand Italians living with multiple sclerosisand for those dealing with related conditions such as neuromyelitis optica (NMOSD) or anti-MOG antibody-related disease (MOGAD), research is the only true path to autonomy.
AISM and multiple sclerosis: how to find out
To resolve doubts and receive practical information, citizens will be able to talk to experts to understand how to make a bequest without affecting the rights of their heirs. The week will end Tuesday 4 February with a national online event (registrations on the AISM website) moderated by RAI journalist Francesca Romana Elisei. It will be a moment to delve deeper into how “a simple gesture can make a difference”, just like the one that allowed Claudia to find her center. Today Claudia enters that center with her best smileaware that he can in turn be “a light” for those who need a look of comfort. His life teaches that illness can be faced if you are not left alone. And, a bequest, after all, is the promise that that support will never fail.
