The world at one meter high

Francesca Moscardo is a 35-year-old woman who lives in Verona but has one peculiarity: she sees life from a particular perspective, from a height of one metre. She recounts: «My disease is called diastrophic dysplasia, it is a very rare form of dwarfism; it does not only affect the height, but involves a whole series of genetic malformations that affect the growth of cartilage. I am disabled, but I also feel unique, each of us has its own uniqueness».

Despite the problems related to her condition and her difficult moments, she manages to get her license and live an independent life. Her key is not to give up: «The greatest fear is to become a frustrated person, that she hasn't been able to do what she wanted in life; I'm trying not to be!"

For some years now, you have begun to tell about your illness, experiencing significant success and noting how many people are interested in these issues. «The blog was born in 2017 and is called Nanabianca – The world at a height of one meter, because I wanted to tell this slightly strange perspective with which I find myself facing the world; stars as small as the Earth, but as heavy as the Sun: these are white dwarfs. I didn't expect topics like dwarfism, disability, trivially height to be so interesting; from that moment I understood that perhaps I had to ride the wave and continue to tell».

A few months ago he received the award of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for the enthusiasm and irony with which he tackles issues related to his disability by offering useful advice for daily life, which he comments as follows: «I don't know how much I feel I deserve this recognition because it is given to people who have contributed to social causes, in the field of solidarity, in civil commitment; and I was awarded for the irony and for how I talk about my disability».

Instead, she deserves it, even just for being a real person who highlights her limits and invests in her dreams. We are all simply called to this: to be a small sign of hope, being ourselves to the core.

Roberto Lerda
NP May 2023