Naples – A public appeal to stop what they call a "media pillory." It was signed by 186 parents of children with heart disease, who are intervening in the debate following the death of little Domenico Caliendo, the child who died after a heart transplant at the Monaldi Hospital in Naples on December 23rd.
In the document released in the last few hours, the families forcefully demand an end to the attacks against Professor Guido Oppido, a leading figure in pediatric cardiac surgery for years.
"We strongly demand an immediate end to the media pillorying of Professor Guido Oppido," write the signatories of the appeal.
“Our children are living thanks to that heart surgery”
In the text, the parents recall the role played over the years by the department and the doctors who deal with childhood congenital heart disease.
"Many of our children today breathe, smile, and live thanks to pediatric cardiac surgery," the families explain. A daily effort, they emphasize, carried out by doctors who fight "a silent battle against time and death."
Among those professionals, they add, for years there was also Professor Oppido.
According to the parents, the current media exposure risks overwhelming not only one person, but also "a facility, a department, and an entire healthcare network on which the lives of our children depend."
The memory of the fear experienced in the hospital
In their appeal, the families also recount their personal experiences of caring for their hospitalized children.
"We are mothers and fathers who have looked into the eyes of the greatest fear, that of losing a child," they write. Many of them remember nights spent in hospital corridors, anxiously waiting for news outside the operating room doors.
Precisely for this reason, they argue, the story of little Domenico should not turn into a media clash.
“Respect and truth in the appropriate places”
The 186 signatories speak of a "deep wound" for families who live daily with their children's illness.
“Turning this tragedy into a media spectacle,” they explain, “affects all the families who fight this battle every day.”
Hence the final request: respect, responsibility, and the verification of the truth in the appropriate places, without fueling controversy that—according to the parents—risks undermining the hope of those still waiting for lifesaving treatment.
I understand the pain of all the families and I don't want to judge; however, I believe it's important to demand respect and truth in the appropriate places, not in a media spectacle. The doctors have worked hard, but judgment must be made calmly and responsibly, and must not destroy the hope of those waiting for treatment. This is essential.
I understand the families and it seems right to me that respect and truth are asked for in the appropriate places but we shouldn't create a media spectacle that overwhelms the department and the children who depend on the care. The doctors have made so many sacrifices and the truth must be sought where it belongs.