ANNINA

Anna is the name of my younger sister (by 2 years) and while growing up she would be called with the diminutive “Annina” and I always tried to protect her and take care of her from real and imaginary dangers. The family joke is that she could marry the only man who I couldn’t scare away, well now it’s the turn of Annina to take care of me, her older brother.

She has recently taken the Power Of Attorney on me replacing in this a professional in the field of helping people unable to take care of themselves and their lives/interests.

She loves me only like a real sister can do and she’s married with a man named Luca who’s very supportive and understanding of her emotional pain for having lost her older brother, me.

She’s been calling me by phone every day and she always updates me on my various interests, still alive in both countries.

Having to deal in a foreign language with legal issues is certainly not easy but her determination to protect me goes beyond what people can imagine.

She understands of my frustrations and angers and (too) often I can hear her by phone sobbing for me and my miseries.

My accident created several losses for her too, she used to consider my ex-wife like a semi-sister and my divorce due to her cheating has caused her to lose this half-sister too.

She has twin boys who are in their teens and require lots of attention and energies daily, on top she’s the one who takes care of both my parents who are growing to be very old and need support too.

In my tragedy I realize how blessed I’ve always been, not only a very successful life but also a very sweet and caring sister, so I can really say that I’m really surrounded by love, that I can transfer to my own children who eventually will meet and get to know well their cousins in Italy so that the Lingiardi name and traditions will continue. Soon I’m going to spend Easter with her and my parents in Verona (Italy) and I’m planning this to be the first of a number of overseas trips to my country of origin later followed by trips with my children who have irreplaceable Italian blood in their veins because of me.

So the way I see this upcoming trip is the beginning of my new life after my death by brain injury and I must stop here because I could write a whole book with my plans for the years to come. Anna is one of the blessings that have made my life wonderful and bearable in the time of crisis and need. She has turned from protected to protector almost overnight while carrying the load of her own growing family and my aging parents.

Thanking her in words wouldn’t compare to the measure of the load that she’s been carrying, so my thank you is going to be tangible and real forever by getting close to her including all the children, who are cousins.