Papa Giovanni XXIII Ospedale

Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy
It took us an hour to get to Bergamo with no drama unless you count the super gnarly bathroom we sat near, with the door that kept sliding open.  We emerged into a small square and a lovely Bergamo evening. Woo hoo!
Karen was able to get only 2 nights at the best western directly across the street from the train at the recommendation of an angel who was with me in Santa Barbara (thank you Stephanie!) and within minutes we were in her very nice hotel room with the shiniest squeaky clean bright yellow bathroom I’ve ever seen. (The hotel was basically the opposite of my memory of cheap rooms near train stations from back in the day backpacking through Europe. Then again I think the most we would spend was $15 bucks.) I had booked a different hotel for the next four nights while I was en route. It was hard to find but I got one. We didn’t realize it but it was the first day of a four day festival that only occurs once a year In Bergamo. More on that later!
Karen had spent the morning at the hospital. She reassured me that mom was fine. She was “all there” no apparent mental deficits. She hadn’t tried walking yet but she could move all parts of her body. She said it felt like her left side had been at the dentist. Tingling but not uncomfortable and other than that she looked the same. She was also very, very tired. (Post stroke fatigue syndrome according to doctor.) The doctor told Karen they would be giving mom a whole bunch of tests then be able to tell us what the situation was. Most importantly, the hospital was clean and modern and the doctors seemed excellent. There were still tons of unknowns but the important thing was that she was getting good care.
It was now 9 pm. We scarfed prosciutto and cheese on baguette (yum!) then passed out, with plans to take a taxi to the hospital in the morning after breakfast. Mom had texted earlier about how easy and good the busses were in Bergamo but we just couldn’t deal with that yet. (She ended up being right of course but for the first few days we stubbornly kept looking for taxis which came very sporadically.)
The next morning, we checked out, stored our luggage and headed up the main street, Papa Giovanni XXIII Avenue. Yes, the same name as the Ospedale! He was a local boy who made pope! Canonized recently in 2014, thus there are many things around town named after him. We found a great little Bergamo Bistro - so good that we went back three times! Here's us acting normal and enjoying cappuccino in the morning! 
We got a taxi after some finagling and had him take us up to the old city first to pick up Mom's phone charger, then it was on to Papa Giovanni.
Super clean modern hospital, and oh what a relief it was to finally walk into that room and see Mom! We took a selfie!!! Mom was happy to see us together and after hanging out with her for several hours and accompanying her to get some tests, and watching her eat lunch  she was ready for a nap. She told us to GO HAVE FUN! 
So we did, starting downstairs at the hospital gift shop. Ha! How cute is this long sweater?! 
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Comments

Margie
2018-10-19

Even knowing the outcome I shared in the PANIC over and over . . . It is very well told! Bravo for even remembering that you needed a passport! I loved all the details and how folks helped . . .especially finding a Real Human at FedEx . . . amazing! As for Frankfort I fear German engineering logistics etc has slipped. And the coffee. . .yum! I am now eagerly waiting for The NEXT ENTRY!

Carol
2018-10-19

Margie's right! even though I know you get there, my heart stops more than once as I read the WHOLE STORY! So I can hardly wait for the next entry. When will you (all of you) be home? Is the health news for Diana still good? Will you fly directly home or break the flight along the way? Keep the news coming!! Love and aloha to all!!!

2025-02-14

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