The final sentence of her thesis is a gut punch: "I dedicate it to all the children who, like me, had to be born a second time."
But the long text also includes a thank you to her family, who opened their home to her thirteen years ago. This story can be read in the thesis of Giada Pisanu, a 23-year-old from Cabras who recently graduated with a degree in Languages and Communication from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cagliari. Foster care and adoption are the topics chosen to raise awareness about these almost taboo subjects.
Inside, you can read her story, which will sooner or later become a book: this is her next goal. Giada Pisanu spoke about herself to illustrate how foster care and adoption are two rarely discussed topics today. "And this still leads to the belief that a child is placed in foster care simply because they can't have one, but that's not the case," she explains. "Once a child arrives in a home, the couple takes ownership of the parental role in every respect."
And then there are the prejudices: "Common belief holds that a child should be just like their parents. Many still believe that if a couple raises a non-biological child, it isn't a 'real child'. This is why I've often felt different from others. The family is what educates, gives love, teaches how to behave in everyday life. These common ideas can only be changed if this topic were discussed more, perhaps in schools."
Giada Pisanu lived with her biological parents until she was 13. Then one day her mother was taken to the hospital because she was ill, and at thirteen, she couldn't stay home alone. "I asked the doctor who was in the house at the time, Dr. Adriana Muscas, if I could go to two family friends, a childless couple I knew well. And I never left that house," Giada says with tears in her eyes. "I found a family who took me in to protect me, to give me love, peace, caresses, tranquility, but also education and rules."
Giada shortly after asked the judge to place her with Lucio and Jessica: the yes came immediately, and the adoption will soon take place. Giada: "And it will be another day I'll never forget."
