Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This week I have a roommate catty-corner across from me named Ilio. He's a man in his
seventies who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for the past fifteen years. I've been
vaguely aware of this disease, but I have never seen with my own eyes what it does to a
man'sbody.Thefingersofhishandsaresplayed,twistedinalldifferentdirections.Hislegs
and arms are spindly, and he needs assistance to sit up and to turn over in bed. His illness
has also compromised his sight and hearing to a certain extent. Most recently it has also
caused some additional damage that has required surgery and recovery in the cardiology
ward.
He and his wife live in a little town not far away, about twenty minutes out of Siena by
car, but his wife doesn't drive. It takes her almost two hours to get here using three differ-
ent buses. She arrives like clockwork every day at about ten minutes before one, helps him
with his lunch and then stays to visit until it's time to catch the return bus home. We chat
one day and she explains the challenges of her travel routine.
The next day she arrives with a couple of gift-wrapped packages and a tray of cookies and
tarts from the bakery. Today is Ilio's seventy-fourth birthday. One of the nurses comes by
in the course of making her rounds and is offered a little tart.
“What's going on today?”
“It's my husband's seventy-fourth birthday.”
“Happy birthday, Ilio!”
She exits and about ten minutes later she returns with two other nurses along with a printed
banner that says “
Buon compleanno Ilio!
” They hang it up over his bed and one of them
says, “Okay, everybody, ready to sing?” She leads us in singing the Happy Birthday song.
We sing it in English, who knows why, but I can guess. All the roommates join in. The
nurses come up to Ilio in turn and kiss him tenderly and affectionately on both cheeks,
wishing him a very happy birthday. A fourth nurse comes in and we all sing the Birthday
song again.
One of the nurses looks at Ilio and asks what's the matter. His eyes are filled with tears. “I
can't believe you would do all this for me. I'm so moved.”
A nurse named Christine sits down next him and takes his hands into her hands. She looks
into his eyes and says, “Ilio, you deserve no less. You are a beautiful person. You have such
a kind heart. And you should know that you are a lucky man. You have a wife who loves
you and who comes here every day. You have such a strong spirit. And you have those
Search WWH ::
Custom Search