We entrust to his father's words the memory of our friend Gennaro Gagliotta, who died in Naples on September 2, 2020.
Dear Gennarino, your birth brought us a joy so immense that only a child can give. But you were so much more than that. From the very beginning, you changed our lives in ways we never expected. It was through you that I met Professor Federico Marsico, your cardiologist. I asked him right away to help me find work in the hospital—not for a steady paycheck, though I had found decent work before—but so I could be there for you during all those treatments you needed. It was Professor Marsico who decided on your surgeries in South Africa in '73 and in Boston in '82. There we met remarkable people who humbly placed themselves at your service, and they were the very best in cardiothoracic surgery. Your honesty, your simplicity, your love for life and for others swept us away and led us to meet other bright souls like you and to make so many new friends. More than thirty years ago, we began our beautiful time with Fede e Luce, where we found friendship, fellowship, and faith. Your hunger to learn, to discover new things, took you to the Istituto Antoniano, where so many dedicated people trained you. All of them remarkable—I thank them all, but I especially want to embrace Nicola warmly and offer a graceful bow to Luisa, just as you would have done.
With your manner, your presence, your simplicity, you always caught everyone off guard—in the best way. The Church of Piedigrotta was always your home. Every priest, every sacristan, welcomed you right up until today, my Gennarino! Year after year you waited for the Feast of Piedigrotta, when you would release the little birds. You looked forward with such longing to the Serenata to the Madonna, where your favorite songs played—songs you hummed and sang all year long. And this church was also home to your godfather Antonio, called "O Madonnaro," who held your hand and took you through the churches of Naples and to our beloved San Gennaro. All of us—all of us, my Gennarino!—had the honor, the privilege of touching with our own hands what real love is: pure love, without condition. We were never alone. Many who had the privilege of knowing you are saying thank you now, because they owe you so much—in material ways and in spirit. With this letter, I wanted to honor you for the countless gifts you gave us, the gifts we spoke of every day in those conversations where you so often challenged me with your intelligence and determination, and you always won! I will never stop talking about you. Fifty-two years is a long time, full and intense, too much to hold in a single letter. And so your mother and I will carry you as an example of how to live.