Taxi Therapy for young Cancer Patients in Italy

Caterina Bellandi, popularly known as 'Auntie Caterina' in Florence, Italy has not just been driving her taxi around for commercial purposes but also driving a 'mission' by serving 'young cancer patients', not for one or two days but for the last sixteen years.

 Image Credit: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/taxi-therapy-italian-brings-cheer-to-young-cancer-patients/article21374057

She offers free of charge travel, during the day, to 'young cancer patients' between a pediatric hospital and their homes, while in the evening she turns into her regular profession by driving her clients in and around Tuscany's main city.

According to the New York Times, her 'black-and-white checkered floor of the taxi has an appearance somewhat similar to a home-flooring. The sears bear multiple colours as orange, purple and yellow, while the interiors are plastered with pea-green daisy stickers. During the raid, the passengers have a choice to play with plastic swords, or a megaphone or they can make soap bubbles.

Caterina Bellandi's dress is made up a flashy green-and-azure cloak topped up by a hat decorated with pompoms with a fabric rose and gerberas. Her wrists are surrounded by several little bells, which creates the sound when she moves her wrists; in addition, she wears a necklace, a polka-dot rosary of yellow, orange and red.

She calls the young cancer patients as her children whom, with a warm smile on her lips, may be sick but can and have to be happy, to which she adds that there is no show in the way she dresses.
Her partner, the original owner of the Chrysler taxi she drives died at a young age of 25 in the year, 2001. His taxi license became precious to her something like a legacy from him.

This is the way she decided to pay the homage to the profound love she had towards him by making his 'taxi' to live on.

It is not as if she did not face trouble; the bureaucracy in Italy, objected to the pictures she had glued to the windows on the ground that it could hamper her views while driving. They also gave her 'multiple tickets', which did not dampen her determination.

She found a voice and support in Eugenio Giani, now the present of Tuscany's regional cabinet. He is proposing to recognise Ms. Bellandi, as "Tuscany's Solidarity Ambassador', an honorific title that would send strong signals to every one of the institutional backings she would get for her noble efforts.

She has become so popular, rightly so, parents of children suffering from serious illness search for her on the internet. A new version of Monopoly board game has included her as a famous figure of Tuscany.

She has been bringing smiles to the faces of young patients battling serious illness, and in addition to liking her in the social media, it will be of great recognition if our readers visit here website http://www.milano25onlus.org/sito/Home.html
and convey the appreciation there also.