We had a beautiful photograph of Francesca at six months old—one that seemed perfect to send to the AIPD (Italian Association of People with Down Syndrome) that spring, when we learned they were selecting people with Down syndrome for the 2007 Calendar. The project would pair them with celebrities from the entertainment world. We never heard back. I figured you need connections for something like that; never mind that Francesca looked absolutely radiant in that photo.
Not that we imagined it would change her life—or ours. But it seemed like a lovely opportunity, after everything she'd already endured. Three surgeries, the first one just twenty-four hours after birth. Come September, when we went to Rome for her checkup at the AIPD office, they asked if we'd submitted a photo for the calendar. Yes, we said. They asked for something more recent, digital, and needed it quickly—difficult for us to manage on short notice. I turned to Marco and said, "Let's send it anyway. What will be, will be." Late September. I was at lunch with colleagues when my phone rang from Rome. Francy—we call her Buby—had been chosen. She'd be photographed with Gianna Nannini. The shoot was set for October 2nd in Milan.
I started crying. Real tears. I could barely tell Marco. I cried for another hour straight—the entire drive home to hold Francesca. Just one year earlier, on October 1st, 2005, she'd come home from intensive care. Twenty days in that unit after her first surgery. And now, barely a year later, she was going to be in a calendar.
We organized ourselves for two days in Milan—all four of us, including Tommaso, who was four. A friend from university met us there and showed us around the city center. Tommaso rode the metro for the first time and was thrilled. The next day we went to the photography studio. It was famous, used to shooting celebrities for calendars.
I was nervous. Francesca didn't know Gianna. Would she be comfortable? But she loves music, so I'd thought of a solution: I'd ask Gianna to sing. When we arrived, just as I'd feared, Francesca began to cry. I turned to Gianna. "Would you sing?" Gianna sang. Francesca stopped crying instantly. She started clapping, keeping time with the music, and everyone watched in amazement. They shot for about twenty minutes while Marco held Tommaso on his shoulders, and my son kept making Francesca laugh. At the end, Tommaso got a photo with Gianna too.
Then we said goodbye, climbed back in the car, and drove home. We won't see the actual photograph until the calendar comes out. Francesca was the youngest person with Down syndrome to participate. She gave Marco, Tommaso, and me a trip to Milan we'll never forget.
Grazia Felici, 2006
