"Dear Pope Francis, we are writing to you because we love you and we feel close to you just like a father or a grandfather. We know that you have not been very well and we wanted to send you a message to give you courage. We understand you very well, even our days are sometimes difficult and full. of suffering, they seem to never end!": with these simple and affectionate words begins the letter written by the children and young people of the school in the Perugia hospital, pediatric onco-haematology department.
Some employees of Vivenda Spa, the company that manages the cleaning and disinfection service for the Umbrian hospital, delivered the letter into the hands of the Holy Father during the traditional papal audience in St. Peter's, to the happiness of the patients in the pediatric oncology department in Perugia.
For the occasion, the general director of the hospital, Giuseppe De Filippis, on behalf of the healthcare staff, donated to Pope Francis a reproduction of the baiocco, the historic currency of the Municipality of Perugia, accompanied by a ticket.
The delivery was made by Dr. Maria Speranza Messii, a pediatric onco-haematology doctor, who said she was honored to bring greetings to the Pope from her healthcare colleagues and the management of the Perugia hospital, commenting on the children's letter thus: "Our little patients put a lot of effort into writing the letter, moments like these are also important for the treatment process to which they are subjected."
The children, in addition to worrying about the pontiff's state of health, in the letter also talk about their "School of white bunnies": "There are children of all ages who come from many different countries and sometimes we call it the 'Rainbow' school which brings a ray of sunshine in the darkness of illness".
Before affectionately greeting the Pope, the young patients of the Perugia hospital also ask for "a blessing for our families, for the doctors and for all the people who help us with their work and give us strength in our department".
"As soon as our employees expressed their willingness to deliver a letter to the pontiff - says Giovanni Malagnino, director of the Umbria branch for Vivenda Spa - we immediately spoke about it with the hospital company which I sincerely thank for the support and encouragement to continue the project spontaneous initiative. In our own small way, every day, we try to contribute to the well-being of children hospitalized in the oncology department with our work and our commitment to keeping the environments clean and healthy. It is therefore inevitable that deep bonds are created with the young patients".
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