Altidona (Fermo), 7 May 2023 – A timeless warrior, Julia Salvatori. You, who in the face of a physically disabling genetic disease, she fought like a lioness to earn a living, without giving up dreams and his hard-earned independence. Julia, it’s there 27 year old girl, resident of Altidona, that Friday afternoon he lost his life in a head-on collision on the A14 in the stretch of carriageway interchange on the territory of San Benedetto.
‘Juliet’ as many called her, due to her petite build, she was a lover of hard rock, piercings and tattoos, always different colors with which to dye your hair. Everyone’s lover animals, nature, human respect. Giulia, who loved to live in the present and didn’t think about the future, Giulia angry with the disease, but not with life to the point of always getting back into the game, right up to the end with the discovery of her talent in the art of photography. This is Giulia, who for about four years, had found love in Joseph, of Giulianova, to which he was traveling for the weekend, as he had always done. Where, however, on Friday she did not arrive.
“She left home around 18 – they say mother Daniela and father Sergio, who in the absurd pain of the moment find the courage to welcome us -. We had just finished dinner when the police arrived. The agents were nice. But Julia is gone.”
Everyone knows the danger of that stretch of highway, the scene of so many tragedies. Were you worried when he left?
“At the beginning of her relationship, yes. We offered her to accompany her. But she always wanted to be independent”.
Giulia was born with Stickler syndrome, a genetic mutation of collagen. How was her life?
“Her build remained small because the disease prevented its normal development. She had pain everywhere. She underwent several operations, including her eyes. She was not free to walk. She grew up with constant physical impediments that forced her to many renunciations. But she knew how to reinvent herself every time”.
What impediments and how did it reinvent itself?
“After graduating she enrolled at the University. But she was forced to leave for health reasons. Lately she had discovered an innate talent for photography of which she attended two masters”.
Daniela gets up. She cries. She dodges glances. She comes back with a sealed envelope.
“See? This is the last master’s certificate delivered by post a few days ago. Giulia didn’t have time to open it and be proud of it”.
What did Giulia teach you?
“To be a mother. To fight. She taught me the value of ‘no’ for all those she has suffered in life and for this very reason, I wanted to give her all and only the ‘yes’ that I could”.
How did Giulia experience her disability?
“She was angry at the disease. But she loved life with steadfastness and determination. She was in favor of euthanasia. She knew what it means to ask someone to tie your shoes. She had a strong concept of existence. She said ‘life is now mom, I don’t think about the future.”
And you, on the other hand, how did you experience Giulia’s disability?
“Bad. To the point of rejecting her for certain periods, while now I wonder if I’ve done enough for her and where I’ll put her story and mine. Now I tell myself, I’d give anything to have her back and live her battles and mine” .