Anna was only two years old when she passed away. She drowned in a pool at a friend’s house in Dubai where the family has lived due to work-related relocation for the past six years. It took only five minutes of distraction and an ambulance that took forever to arrive on that 18th of September 2009. Anna was energetic and had a strong and independent personality. She wasn’t afraid to go outside alone in the dark and play near the pool, where she then fell in. We feel so fortunate to have had her with us and feel that she in some way is still with us today and that one day we will hold her once again. When you are faced by the tragic death of an infant you first become numb and silent, then angry, and then you collapse. It becomes humanly impossible to come up with a reason for the tragedy. You look inside yourself, but you don’t find the answers. That which once seemed important becomes completely useless. After the pain and suffering that make you hit rock bottom, you come to realize what is really important—affection, altruism, friendship, love for others. Those things that one normally takes for granted feeding a selfish attitude that make you believe you can totally rely on yourself. But then something happened thanks to Giulio, a friend of Anna’s father Pierluigi: now there is an orphanage dedicated to our little angel. And so, Anna’s death has had the capacity to shake people’s souls, to make real things happen, to rekindle friendships that seemed lost, to touch the hearts of people and put them together to work toward something beautiful, significant and important. Those who would like to join our adventure will be more than welcome … we cannot guarantee comfortable accomodations, but together we can keep the memory of Anna alive and give meaning to her passing.
Valeria, Anna's mother