When I was a boy watching football matches, I realized that my physical disabilities meant I couldn't go to discos, hike in the mountains, or join in the activities other kids did. I understood I was hard to get around with. Until I was about sixteen, my father carried me everywhere we went.
Then the social worker from the town of Nerviano helped me expand my horizons and open myself more to society.
I started spending time with other young people.
My group—all from Nerviano, focused on volunteering for human development—began with real enthusiasm. But as time passed, many of them paired off as couples and gave their romantic relationships priority over group activities.
On impulse, I decided to leave them.
In my new group, young people who gathered around our parish priest, Don Emilio, at the church center, I found myself comfortable. The group included young married couples and engaged pairs. These people were affectionate and generous with each other and toward me, and even those who were officially engaged didn't cut themselves off—they stayed active in the group.
I get along well with the young people now, even though some of them struggle a bit to show affection toward me; still, I know they'll improve.
With many of them I feel a real bond. There's a kind of ease between us that lets us talk openly and enjoy lighthearted moments together. But even in this circle I notice something missing: proper equipment, like a minibus, to help us handicapped people get around.
Because of that, I've had to skip outings and trips, even though I wanted very much to join them.
Sometimes I think that given my physical difficulties, it might be better if I relied more on a health care facility. I know there aren't many young people becoming nurses, yet I believe that's a profession where you can offer real material and emotional help to someone who's sick.
Conscientious objectors who work in specialized facilities also matter in health care—people driven by the desire to serve others.
Five years ago I met Alberto Monza, a conscientious objector my own age, at a socio-educational institute for handicapped people called SEME. He taught us to work, to weave basket handles, to do collage and drawing, to play sports. The two of us became very close, and even now when I go out for pizza with others my age, I look for him beside me. I know he lived that experience at SEME and is happy to help me.
- Gianni De Vita, 1993
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