The charity project began in May 2023 with the goal of bringing a 15-year-old Ivory Coast girl who is bilaterally deaf to the Legnago hospital. The effort, made possible by the Veronese association “Il Castello dei Sorrisi,” enabled the girl to get surgery at the Ororhinolaryngology Unit of Mater Salutis Hospital, improving her quality of life with a cochlear implant.
The girl, who was given volunteer housing during her stay in Verona, had surgery in June of last year and spent two months recovering at Legnago Hospital. After that, she went back home and went through a speech therapy program. In the last few days, she has returned to Mater Salutis as a guest. The patient’s remarkable improvement, which they attributed in part to her strong determination, left the operating doctors very satisfied. Now, a new telemedicine service will allow for remote monitoring of the 15-year-old.
The volunteer organization “Il Castello dei Sorrisi,” founded in Verona, organizes humanitarian missions and take in children from nations where access to essential medical care is scarce, and make the journey of hope possible. In addition to the association, other realities helped, such as the Flying Angels Foundation, which handled air transportation, and the Diocese of Bergamo, through fundraising to help with therapeutic expenses.
