After reading the article about Davide on Ombre e Luci, I decided to send you this book of mine. In it I tell the story of my life with my son — a boy with what they call "different abilities" (though the doctors say he has a severe handicap).
To me, all these young people are differently able, and especially the ones whose disabilities are most profound. If we watch them, if we stand by them, if we listen to what they need—even the things they cannot say—we discover that they possess the greatest abilities of all.
Many mothers have recognized themselves in this book. They've asked me to share it because it speaks to the real truth of what it means to live with handicap.
I'm not qualified to judge its merit. I only know the effect it's had wherever it has spread: deeply positive.
ANFFAS in Crema has begun working in many areas, and our young people are increasingly present and accepted in our community.
I have suffered, and I still suffer. But sharing these struggles with people who truly understand—that matters in ways I cannot fully say. I want to tell every mother: "Do not feel alone." And if someone neglects you, do not allow it. Stand firm.
Our children matter not just to us.
This book, "The A's of My Life," is drawn from my diary. As I look back through every chapter, I discover the A's that have given me back my will to say: I will not surrender.
Let me leave you with one message.
"Sometimes others don't see our needs, and sometimes they pretend not to see them out of fear of intruding. One of our tasks is to HELP THEM SEE and HELP THEM UNDERSTAND. Even though this task is not easy, for those of us who have endured so much, it should be less difficult.
— Giovanna Barre, 2000