"Before ALS leaves me no chance, I'd like to return to my homeland." Alessio Rosa is 51 years old. He lives in Assemini but moved to Thailand a year ago to turn his life around. But fate played a cruel trick on him: "The right side of my body, starting with my little finger, started to stop working. Now I'm almost completely bedridden and I rely on ChatGpt to help me write."
Thanks to artificial intelligence, Rosa was able to appeal to various institutions: "The Consulate, Caritas, healthcare facilities. But also television, newspapers, and even the mayor of Assemini, Mario Puddu." His request is simple: "Help me live what's left of me in Sardinia. I need the warmth and smiles of my fellow countrymen to find the strength to move forward."
Hope – The nightmare isn't far off: "At the end of 2023, I returned to Assemini from Germany, where I was working as an ice cream maker, to be with my mother. My father passed away suddenly from sepsis." A few months later, the same tragic outcome befell his mother: "I sank into a nightmare, and to save myself from depression, I had no choice but to change my life." Rosa sold the family home (she's an only child), packed up her parents' memories, and took a one-way flight from Cagliari to Rome and Bangkok: "I invested in a restaurant. I named it 'Grande amore' in memory of my parents."
The diagnosis – As soon as he started his new business, he discovered the first symptoms: "I went to a private clinic. The doctor told me the numbness in my limbs was due to cervical pain. I paid €12,000 and had surgery." From then on, the worsening was rapid: "The restaurant went bankrupt in January, I was diagnosed with ALS in February, and now I can no longer eat or wash myself. I'm not terminally ill, nor in a vegetative state, but I need daily assistance to get through the day." Meanwhile, physiotherapy, nursing, and medical equipment have drained his bank account: "I don't even have €1,600 for my plane ticket, and in a month, my visa will expire."
The appeal – Alessio Rosa, on the one hand, is afraid of being left alone, but on the other, he has acknowledged his mistakes and found the courage to ask for help: "I have no relatives or friends who can host me. Only an elderly aunt is helping me with a fundraiser." Rosa has received no response to his numerous requests. Now, he appeals to Mayor Puddu: "Please take steps to get me back to Assemini or to a facility that can provide me with assistance."
