My Fathers Story (Part 1 and Part 2)

This is my father's journey through the social medical system in Italy.

Far from flawless, the Italian social health care system allowed my father to have medical assistance until his death. Without social health care, my father would have died at home of a common cholecystitis.

In the process of assisting my father, I lost my job and moved back to Italy for over 3 months. I basically had to put my life on hold in order to stay next to my father.

It's been the darkest chapter of my entire life. I felt vulnerable like never before. But my father taught me the power of hope and perseverance, necessary to reach any goals.

I started a journal during my night shifts, where I tried my best to recollect what happened during those endless 5 months, 3 of which I was physically there, next to my dad, day and night.

With my sisters, my mom and the help of wonderful assistant nurses (thank you Marlon, you were and an an angel) we were able to be next to my dad 24/7, unless he was in intensive care, where almost no one was allowed.

My father couldn't move much. His body, stiffened by 10 years of Parkinson's disease, prevented him to properly move his legs, his arms, his entire body. We massaged his feet, legs, arms, hands and back on a daily basis to avoid skin sore and infections.

During those 5 months, I couldn't stop thinking about he fact that my father was right all along:
"Everyone deserves a chance to survive, to be assisted by doctors in an emergency medical condition or in a pre-existing one. Simple. We cannot gamble on human life, putting a price tag and a number on each one of us. We cannot let insurance companies and pharmaceutical corporations control the "Heath Game". We have to give the choice of abortion to women who need it for medical and serious personal issues."
These were his words. I honor his life. A generous, kind man, who only brought peace and love to his family and friends.

A video on Youtube might not change the minds of those who are still in doubt regardin Universal Health Care Reform, but I hope at least it will plant the seed of compassion, necessary for a change.

I love you, Dad.

Enza Sebastiani
www.enzasebastiani.com

Shot with an Apple iSight camera and a consumer digital camera, edited in iMovie 8.0.5 by Enza Sebastiani.

No copyright infringement intended as this video was produced exclusively for educational and non-profit purposes.

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[ih8u2be]

@HappyEggz: Thank you so much for your kind words.

[HappyEggz]

Dear Enza,

Very beautiful video. I did tear up a bit.

What your father believed in and what he taught you through his beliefs couldn't be more true.Looks like he was a strong man, who cared and loved his family more than anything.

Reminded me alot of my own father Mario and grandfather Carlo (who are both so alike) very inspiring people.

For you to have stayed by his side all that time, must've been hard. He was the luckiest man in the world to have a daughter like you.

Nadia Pietrobon