He remembers that endless night well. "Nicola would sometimes stay the night at a friend's house. But he always called to let us know. That time, however, he didn't call. I immediately knew something was wrong."

Adriano Micheli, 62, relives painful moments he will never forget. It was the evening of October 29, 2021, when his beloved son Nicola, 20, lost control of his car and ended up in the courtyard of a house on Via Leonardo da Vinci . He died 48 hours later in the hospital. Then the family decided to donate his organs: his heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas saved the lives of others. Therefore, on Saturday, October 31, a plaque will be placed on a bench in the donor square on Via Tazzoli in memory of Nicola and his gesture of love.

"When they told me at the hospital that there was nothing more they could do for Nicola, I was the one who suggested donating his organs," Micheli continues. "The doctors were a little surprised because they didn't even have to ask. But that's just who I am. For me, helping others comes before anything else."

She never knew in which chest her son's heart beats now, "but due to a series of circumstances, we spoke to those who have his liver." In those 48 hours they had hoped and prayed, "we had looked for him at night because he hadn't returned. We were worried when a friend of his called asking, 'But where is Nicola? He was supposed to come get me.'" Then in the morning the call from the police: "Come to the hospital." As for hope, "they had given us little. Nicola's heart was beating, but the trauma was too severe. Even if he had survived, he would never have recovered." Then brain death, "he remained on the machines for a day. I remember the head doctor telling us, 'Pray for a miracle.'"

And Adriano and his son performed a miracle. "I really want to raise awareness about the importance of donating, because in your tragedy, you can have the chance to save others. And I really wish the City could do even more to encourage this."

For some time now, following a motion presented by Councilor Rita Murgioni under the Contini administration and approved unanimously, every time people come to renew or get their ID card, they're asked if they want to become donors. " Nicola had so many dreams , he was twenty years old and had a lot of plans: he worked in the restaurant business, made music, played soccer, and aspired to run a club. We miss everything about him, his cheerfulness, his zest for life," adds his father. "The ceremony on the 31st makes us proud. His entire family will be there: me, my wife, our other two children. And we want the donation to be an incentive for others. We're proud of our son."

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