Sinti Brescia Thomas child of 15 months before transferring the Sinti 
The baby without oxygen in the trailer
Thomas, 15 months, has a genetic disease. Detached energy, stops the life-saving machine
Thomas in the trailer with their parents (Cavicchi)
BRESCIA - Have you ever heard a child of one year and three months, almost motionless, issue of cheeps, like a wounded bird or sad? You should go to the field of Sinti via Orzinuovi to approach the anguish of two parents who can not help but wipe the saliva continuously emitted from the lips of little Thomas when he can not breathe. That is, every two to three minutes. But we need calm, to tell this story. It rains on the caravan of gypsy camp after the fire on Monday night. The conflict between the nomads and the city is not new. After a harrowing tale, the administration has invested 180 000 euro to clean up a field that borders the park of the river Mella and now, some twenty days, the situation of about one hundred twenty Sinti of Brescia (Italian for centuries) appeared to move towards a peaceful epilogue, with clean gravel on the ground, plumbing and electrical pursuant to the sewer.
remained a matter still pending: provided that land from the beginning the 'liveability' for 15 families. Remained out of five households, corresponding to the wide family Terenghi, which has offered the City transfer via Borgosatollo, where he committed many years the Roma community. Proposal unacceptable to those concerned, for environmental reasons (Roma families living in a crowded). It is not excluded that same syntax is also a fear not so peaceful coexistence with the Roma and ask to let the Terenghi remain with their community, even though the agreements do not provide. In short, in front of the persistent refusal of the transfer, comes the ultimatum Monday night, firefighters enter the field and off the power to punish the defaulters and those who do not want to move out. That's where the syntax does not think twice, burning huts, containers and trailers on the edge of the field and create a barrier of fire. The Deputy Mayor Fabio Rolfe talks about security issues and is keen to point out that this is also to protect other families.
But no one imagined that the confrontation (and in particular the failure current) would create serious problems for two sick children living in the community Sinti. Gabriel has five months and suffers from heart disease: yesterday, after complications due to the cold, ended up in hospital for tests and the father is said decided to sue the City. The other case is even worse. There he was, the little Thomas, in the arms of mother Fenni, twenty years, sitting on the living gray flowers, still wrapped in plastic. Samuel's father at his side, closed in a dark jacket, thirty years. Thomas suffers from a rare genetic condition (only 14 cases in the world) is called H-ABC: what allows him to survive is a tube attached to a nostril and a machine for oxygen ready if needed (ie every half hour). When, on Monday evening, is no electricity, Mr. Marin had to get by hook or by crook a portable generator, and found him in San Zeno. In the arms of his mother, still coughing, spitting phlegm: wipe with a tissue is now an automatic gesture that Mum and Dad are hundreds of times a day. "Thomas Good, good ...».
the door of the trailer there is a handwritten sign: "Please do not climb with shoes, cough, fever, children, I beg I no longer want to stay in hospital." Signed Thomas, praying children not to enter the field cause him not to infection. "Every twenty days or less - Samuel says - it must be admitted to take the flu. He was born so there is no cure, still do not know what will happen. " Unfortunately it is difficult to know what happens, reading the only two that there are specialized studies on H-ABC. It is a degenerative disease that affects the basal ganglia. "I do not know how to grow, we know that leads blindness, deafness and immobility," says mom Fenni. Today, the hospital changed the tube. Marin's family story is simple: originating in Piacenza, leave the field of their city last month and moved here because the hospital of Brescia has more resources updated: "But now they want to send us away, because we are living in Piacenza: the order has already begun."
blue athletic shoes, which will not walk, green sweatshirt, Thomas is excited, chirping chirping, turn eyes to the ceiling, "tells me how we can do with a child so sensitive? There are nights that vex us, we must always keep it attached to oxygen, ten days ago at three in the morning had a few beats, barely, was black in the face and the hospital have it saved. " Nine pounds, always closed fists. Like the other Sinti, Samuel also gets by going around to gather scrap metal to sell in the centers of destruction. Or is called to clear some cellar in town. That is all. His ancestors were giostrai and circus. "With Thomas, it takes a lot of money, sometimes we have to go check in Milan and Padua." The minister's spiritual field called Renato Heric. It is an evangelical pastor and is proud of his community: "The mayor says we use our children for blackmail, come here and visit us, please, come and see them." Thomas sleep. Mamma Fenni lies in the Latvian full of pillows. There are two tubes for oxygen to be inserted in the nose and the oximeter be attached to the thumb with a plaster. Now he can sleep. Paolo Di Stefano
