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Gianna was a happy person who felt loved and understood
throughout her entire life. Her youth was filled with happy family
memories
and the religious atmosphere of her family shaped her personality
with a remarkable inner strength. Her work did not impede her
from engaging in her favorite sports, skiing and mountain climbing.
She felt nowhere closer to God than at the summit of a large
mountain
covered with snow. She was a physician of cultured tastes — she
enjoyed fashion, the symphony, and took in the opera at Milan's
La Scala — and varied recreations. She painted, and played
sports. Some of her Madonna’s and scenic works are still
treasured by her loved ones. She enjoyed the theater, the opera,
and concerts
Gianna lived her life with exuberant joy. Enjoying fine clothing,
she was carefully to dress modestly. One of her friends remembers
borrowing her beautiful ski jackets. Gianna’s opinion was
that simple elegance is becoming of a Christian lady and she would
have agreed with the old adage “a sad saint is a sorry saint”.
Stories of Gianna’s love and respect for the gift of life
are plentiful. Gianna esteemed every life as a direct gift from
the hands of God.
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A man in Mesero one day confided in her his anguish at
the birth of a handicapped child. Gianna understood his
pain; calmed him down and had him take steps to save the
life of the child.
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An
older workingwoman who was faced with an unexpected
pregnancy and feared people’s comments confided her embarrassment
to Gianna. Gianna assured her “Isn’t
that a joy and pride? In this case we should not
bother about
what people
have
to say.”
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Gianna was a sister to many expecting mothers,
encouraging them to fulfill the creative plan
of God. She didn’t
leave them alone, with their doubts, anxieties,
difficulties and temptations.
She placed herself near them to welcome new life
into the world.
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Notes she wrote while at a conference sum up
her thoughts on the sacredness of all life, even in cases
where the
mother’s
life is in danger.
“ The doctor should not meddle.
The right of the child is
equal to the right of the mother’s life. The doctor can’t
decide; it is a sin to kill in the womb.”
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