I am very happy to hear this news. Lombardy’s regional government has done something good and important. I want to thank everyone who made this decision possible, both personally and on behalf of all those who welcomed it with joy. The heart always wins.
Jessica Scarpa is 36, lives in Olginate, in the province of Lecco, and is the mother of three-and-a-half-year-old twins. She is fighting metastatic pancreatic cancer. Her hope lies in a new drug available in the United States that could slow the disease. Above all, she hopes for more time with her children.
The drug costs around €40,000–€45,000 a month. Jessica had therefore started a fundraiser. The response was extraordinary: more than €500,000 was donated in just a few weeks.
Then came the news that changed everything. Lombardy’s regional government, through Guido Bertolaso, the regional official responsible for welfare, authorized the purchase of the drug in the United States and will cover the cost of treatment. Jessica will be able to receive it at the hospital in Lecco without having to bear those costs herself.
Another detail makes this story even more moving. After learning of the regional government’s intervention, Jessica suspended her fundraiser. She said she would use the money she had received to help other people facing the same disease.
No one can know how much more time this treatment may give her. But every extra day with her children will be immensely valuable.
I want to thank the Lombardy regional government and Guido Bertolaso. Their decision gives a mother and her children the chance to spend more time together.
To me, this is one of the finest expressions of our humanity.
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