Of
Andrea Pasqualetto
It was he, the young anesthetist Leonardo Sattin of the Verona Alpine Rescue Service, who took her out of the Bueno Fonteno cave a year and a half ago, when the thirty-two year old from Brescia had her first accident
FONTENO (BERGAMO) – Ottavia and Leonardo, the speleologist and the doctor. It was him, the young anesthetist Leonardo Sattin of the Verona Alpine Rescueto take her out of the cave of Good Fonteno a year and a half ago, when the thirty-two year old from Brescia had her first accident among the underground rocks of the mountain Torrezzo. And he, a speleology enthusiast, joined her in these days in the unexplored tunnels to help her. «Doctor, we know each other, he told me as soon as we met», Sattin says, trying to collect his thoughts after the nocturnal tour de force. The memory of that 4th of July last year is still alive. Then, wounded and blocked, Ottavia had spent 52 hours down there before seeing the light again. «I had done thirteen with her, accompanying her on a stretcher right to the exit». This time the shift was intermediate and more tiring. «Twenty hours, I’m really exhausted».
Twenty hours in which he assisted her in the maze of guts of the newly explored and yet to be mapped part of the Abyss. «She was the one who guided us, go here, go there, and it was important because that is an environment that no one knows yet. Instead, she always knew where she was, she called some rooms by name, others didn’t have a name yet.” At first Ottavia didn’t want to eat: «She said “I’m not hungry and I’m not thirsty”. We managed to get her to drink two sips of water and eat a small piece of sandwich… However, we shouldn’t overdo it to avoid nausea that could have created problems.” It’s not easy to stay on a stretcher like that for days, moving. «Every now and then he asked for a break. Then at night she even managed to sleep, a couple of times for a couple of hours. She had been awake since last Saturday.”
The pain made itself felt from time to time, despite the painkillers. The issue is not of little importance because if the suffering persists it can make recovery problematic. “But Octavia she is very strong, she managed to stay calm for a long time. We also talked about his great passion, about Good Fontenoshe is very attached to the place and I can understand her. He told me about 35 kilometers of the systemshe told me she was exploring that branch… she even laughed to make light of the fact that the accident had happened again. I told her: look, you’ve become famous.” She shook her head, thinking about the dynamics: “She told me: I was really unlucky.” Leonardo, with the nurse and the technicians, also brought the stretcher: “Anything can be done down there, when you’re an expert.” While she, from time to time, asked for someone. «He wanted to know where his friends and expedition companions were. Am I still here?” Ottavia can’t wait to get out of the darkness. «And I want to go back because that place is really beautiful».
December 17, 2024 (changed December 18, 2024 | 07:40)
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