Stefania Bastianello, technical director of AISLA, donated the entire collection of Titti made together with her husband, who died due to illness, to the little guests
Milan – It is much more than a gift, it is a yellow “flock” of love that is glided to Casa Sollievo Bimbi by VIDAS, among the very few pediatric hospices in Italy. This is the private collection of Stefania Bastianello, technical director of AISLA – Italian Association of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – which he will now populate with his own 1500 “Tweety”not only the common areas of this structure, but also the rooms and play of children suffering from very serious diseases, which VIDAS treats here and at home every day.
Over time, the ugly fades, the beautiful re-emerges and shines like Stefania’s gesture of love. The history of this amazing collection – undoubtedly one of the largest in Europe – has in fact accompanied an entire decade of life, the one spent with her husband, Cesare Scoccimarro. Computer talent hit by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at only 32 years old, Cesare passed away just 10 years ago, on July 26, 2012, when he was 50.
“ALS overwhelmed our existence when we were in our thirties. A complex, often painful coexistence. He immobile and I overactive. This was our dance, the sun and the sunflower – he declares Stefania Bastianello, technical director of AISLA – Cesare was a great man, full of talents and passions, he was pure and free energy. Reciprocity creates compactness and this is the spirit with which I give our Titti collection. I want memories and emotions to become circular and generative, and nothing like a child’s smile can be. “
The memories of Stefania and Cesare are many and beautiful, despite the ALS they lived with for 18 years. Together they faced difficulties with energy and determination, even when they seemed insurmountable. And Tweety, one of the most iconic and beloved characters of the Looney Tunes who this year celebrates its 80 years, is the emblem of how it is possible to transform fragility into strength. Exactly like Cesare. Since 1998, in fact, Cesare has lived enticed and immobile, perfectly lucid, with the possibility of communicating only through his eyes. He wanted to live and he did, until the end, being able to count on the complicity and care of his wife. Over the years, she has also put her experience at the service of other patients and their families, both in AISLA as head of the Listening Center and technical director; and within the Palliative Care Federation, of which she was president until June 2022.
Tweety therefore has a special meaning in this story. It testifies to the stubbornness with which the couple has never given up on the intensity of life, building an ethical and value spirituality, made up of freedom and respect for every individual choice. From the first little Titti, purchased by Stefania from a street vendor and renamed together with her husband “forefather”, the room where Cesare lived was gradually enriched with hundreds of specimens of all shapes and sizes. All strictly original and some even numbered because of limited production: puppets, resin pieces, even a Bakelite telephone and a functioning electric motorbike for children ridden by a huge plush Tweety. It is also thanks to these objects that that room, despite the electro-medical equipment and their cold and repetitive beeps, has become a lively and colorful place, in tune with the playful and combative spirit of Cesare and Stefania.
“Heartfelt thanks to Stefania – he says Giorgio Trojsi, general manager of VIDAS – who at such a significant moment for her thought of Casa Sollievo Bimbi. Her gesture of generosity is an extraordinary way to give continuity of life to his collection and to help us cultivate the game, a fundamental aspect for every child, even for those suffering from very serious disabilities. For our children and their little brothers and sisters, often among the most affected by the consequences of the disease, we wanted to create a beautiful, colorful and bright environment, to help them experience moments of lightness and normality here too. Tweety will be a precious ally in this. “
ALS, 1500 yellow canaries for the Casa Sollievo Bimbi di VIDAS