“I have three children, they ask me to take him home to us” – Corriere.it

His voice trembles, a sign that the emotion is still strong. “In sixteen years of service such a thing had never happened to me”, says Alberto Marino, the deputy brigadier of the Arma who, yesterday, together with a colleague and the 118 operators, rescued a newborn abandoned in a shopping bag in the Paceco countryside, in the Trapani area.

How’s the baby?

“Is fine. As a precaution, she is still in the Intensive Care Unit in the Neonatology ward, but she is fine. He is a strong child, attached to life. He is only safe because he screamed and cried as hard as he could, attracting the attention of a peasant who was passing by to go to work. They left him on the ground, in the sun, with the umbilical cord still attached. Yet he is out of danger. He is a fighter ».

Did he go to see him?

«Not yet, I left him in the hospital yesterday, reluctantly but in excellent hands, I hope to be able to go as soon as possible and bring him some clothes, some toys, even if he is still perhaps too small for toys. They told me that it weighs three kilos and is 50 centimeters long, it’s beautiful ».

Who warned away?

«My colleague and I, the officer Leonardo Tumbarello, were notified by the operations center that he had received the report of the discovery of the child from the farmer who saved his life. It was 5.30 pm. We ran to the hospital immediately and arranged for the newborn to be welcomed by alerting the emergency room and the Neonatology department and freeing the clinic from other patients so that the baby could immediately receive all the treatments. Then we ran to the place where 118 had already intervened. The child was in an ambulance and we escorted him to the hospital. He had been wrapped in an electric blanket by the nurses and I believe he had minor burn marks from exposure to the sun. As far as doctors have found, he was left shortly after birth and remained in the plastic bag for eight to nine hours. Luckily the bag they had put him in was open and he was able to breathe. ‘

Did she take him in her arms?

“No, because there was no time to waste. We gave it to the doctors who took care of it, but I never left it until the evening. When I got back to dinner I told my three children who are 4, 6 and 10 years old everything. They asked me when we take it home with us, they would like it.

Think about a fourth child?

“Maybe, I’d be happy. I do not deny that I would have some organizational problems since my wife works and I should ask my mother or my in-laws for help, but I would be happy. Let’s see what they decide for him. I promised the children that as soon as possible I will take them to the hospital to see him ».

What was the experience for you?

«An indescribable experience. I have been in the Army since 2006, I worked in the North, then in the Palermo area. Now I am at the Radiomobile Operational Unit, but I have never felt such an intense emotion ».

TO
The little one was given his name …

«With the doctor who visited him first, it was decided to call him Francesco first, since yesterday was the feast of the Saint of Assisi, then Alberto like me. He makes me really happy ».

What do you think of those who abandoned the child knowing that he was sentenced to almost certain death?

“I don’t want to judge because I don’t know what’s behind it. Everyone has a story and we don’t know what prompted the mother to do this. Certainly nowadays there are a thousand ways to deal with unwanted motherhood without putting the children at risk. There is La Ruota, there is the possibility of giving birth anonymously ».

The countryside where Francesco Alberto was found is very isolated… Probably those who abandoned him are from the area.

“Yes, it is an isolated area, but I make no assumptions about what happened and who is responsible for such serious behavior. There is an investigation underway for the abandonment of minors. Colleagues are working on it. I know it was a miracle that the farmer found himself passing by. In the tragedy the child was lucky ».

What do you wish for him?

“I hope he lives surrounded by all the love he deserves. And I hope he is a carabiniere. He has the strength of mind and the courage you need ».