by Veronica Brandinu

It was proposed to me by Professor Riccardi, the Director of our Department, to take a couple of days leave and head for Pristina in Kosovo, and to go to the city hospital and get to know and help the nurses in the pediatric onco-hematology department.
I accepted with great enthusiasm, and having already had an experience abroad I know that these opportunities are enriching both professionally and personally.
On our first day, before going to hospital I had the pleasure to meet Leonora, the mother of a young patient treated in Italy in my department, who in the local association has several responsibilities, one of which is cultural mediator between us and the staff. A woman with great patience, during our few days stay in Pristina, she was dedicated to us, even in her free time taking us around the city.
The hospital is divided into pavilions, the impact of pediatics is destabilizing, moving from the 1st floor of the department of general pediatrics, which is dilapidated, to the 4th floor of pediatric onco-hematology which has been completely renovated, thanks to a donation. You have the impression of not being in the same place, however, as you are separated from each reality only by the stairs.
When I entered the ward, I was greeted by some of my ex patients from Kosovo treated in our division in Italy, who are now out of therapy, and who go to Pristina for routine checks. This is a further assurance that our work can and should work. Read the rest of this entry »