Soften the blow

It was a hot August morning in the southern outskirts of Turin, about a year ago, and Mattia Aguzzi, a 37-year-old young man, walking with his girlfriend did not know that his life would soon cross paths with that of little Frida, not even 4 years old. «From the building opposite, we heard screams that caught our attention: a little girl was leaning over the ledge of the balcony and began to lean out more and more». A scene that, like Mattia and those present, no one would have wanted to see. «I started screaming, telling her to stay still and go inside, but she couldn't hear and, at a certain point, I saw that she was about to fall. So I put myself underneath in the trajectory to soften the blow: we both fell to the ground, but fortunately neither of us were seriously hurt, we are both fine and can tell a story with a happy ending».

In these months Mattia has received many messages of thanks, a regional award, the 2023 Courage Award and, finally, the awards culminated with the honor of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for saving a little girl who fell from a building risking her physical safety. "I am honored and happy with this award. I still don't feel like a hero, but just a citizen who behaved with good civic sense. I hope to be an example for others".

As he said, we can tell a story with a happy ending, which strikes me even more because it happened on the corner behind my house and in Mattia's place it could have been me. I think that all of us, at some point in our lives, can be called upon to "soften the blow" of some fall or failure of friends or acquaintances or sometimes people met by chance; sometimes each of us can be that person who makes chance a providence. Becoming the guardian of someone, near or far. Or under our own house.

Roberto Lerda
NP Aug-Sep 2024