There is no doubt that Christmas is the most eagerly awaited time of the year. This anticipation creates expectations, helps to draw conclusions and makes people think about the inevitable emptiness in their lives. This, in turn, can create a sense of melancholy, especially for those who do not have a solid family and do not belong to a social group, or for those who cannot celebrate it in the best possible way because the ups and downs of life have changed the course of events—for example, those who spend Christmas in hospital.
This is the spirit that motivated the Fondazione Giglio in Cefalù to organise a series of events entitled ‘Natale con noi’ (Christmas with us), dedicated to patients, their families and medical staff: the initiative aims to bring peace, harmony and friendliness to the hospital, transforming it into a place of not only physical but also emotional care.
In this week of Christmas events, the participation of the young students on the MSc in Medicine and Surgery at the UniCamillus campus in Cefalù—in the premises of the Fondazione Giglio—is an invaluable asset. Indeed, their active contribution, as volunteers and artists, underlines the importance of the solidarity and humanitarian aspect that characterises our Institution and those who choose to attend it, confirming that medical training is not limited to academic preparation, but also to experiences of empathy and sharing, focusing on something that goes beyond the simple concepts of ‘patients’ and ‘care for people’.
A joyful programme of shared values: the role of UniCamillus students
The Christmas week was inaugurated yesterday, Tuesday 17th December at 2pm with the performance ‘UniCamillus Wandering Songs’: two students, Vincenza and Giorgia, brought Christmas melodies through the hospital corridors with their violins. Accompanied by five other UniCamillus students, the young musicians started in the lobby and went on to the wards, bringing smiles and peace to the patients and their families.
“We students were happy to take part in this initiative to be close to those people who, during the Christmas period, are not only hospitalised but often far from their families”, says Antonino, a UniCamillus student who volunteered for this Christmas experience at the Giglio hospital. “We received extremely positive feedback from the patients, for whom the pleasant intrusion of the Christmas violins was a wonderful surprise, even on the most sensitive wards”.
Today, Wednesday 18th December, the presence of UniCamillus will be even more significant: the students and some of the medical staff will join the choir at the Christmas Mass celebrated by the Bishop of Cefalù, Giuseppe Marciante. The Bishop will also visit the classrooms to meet the students—a moment of great spiritual importance for the whole community. In the afternoon, at 2pm, five other students will accompany the famous violinist Samuele Palumbo to the wards, continuing to spread the Christmas atmosphere with their ‘itinerant’ notes.
On Thursday 19th December at 2pm, five students will accompany the hospital staff to distribute gifts to the patients, offering them small moments of attention and affection. UniCamillus will also take part in the Christmas party organised by the Fondazione Giglio at 7pm.
The week with the UniCamillus students will end with another expression of solidarity: on Friday 20th December at 2pm, our students will take part in the concert ‘Milici and Quartet-Hall’ and help the staff of the Fondazione to transfer the patients from the wards to the concert hall.
The ‘Christmas with us’ events will continue as follows:
Monday 23rd December at 2pm, the itinerant notes of ‘Max Potamo and the Vintage‘ will be resonating through the hospital wards;
Friday 27th December, performance by the ‘Santa Claus Bajardi Band‘;
Monday 30th December, performance by the ‘Good Vibes‘, with Sofia Fullone;
Thursday 2nd January at 1pm, piano recital by Marilena Anello, followed by musical entertainment by the ‘Associazione Amici della Musica‘, with Benedetto Albanese from Caccamo;
Friday 3rd January will end with the Employee of the Year-Giovanni Cristofaro Award Ceremony and the participation of the ‘Giglio’s Children and Friends Band‘.
A programme of emotion, music and solidarity, with the aim of bringing a smile and a moment of happiness to the people in hospital at Christmas.
What it means to be there: the human value of medicine
The ‘Christmas with us’ programme organised by the Fondazione Giglio is not only a celebration of the festive season, but also a profound message of hope, care and solidarity. The participation of UniCamillus students, with their ability to listen, support, give and share, is a concrete example of how medicine is first and foremost a human activity.
It is also important to recognise that it is an enriching experience for both the recipient and the donor: for patients, it is a moment of light that breaks through the sterile and often painful hospital routine, while for future doctors it is a lesson beyond textbooks and classrooms, and a constant reminder of what it means to choose to dedicate one’s life to serving others.
If the true meaning of Christmas is love, then this year, thanks to the solidarity shown by the Fondazione Giglio and the UniCamillus students, the corridors of a hospital in Italy will be filled with music, human warmth and great hope.
