A mission of peace and bearers of smiles around the world through the Smile House Fondazione ETS aboard the Cavour, flagship of the Italian Navy

To feel like a bearer of smiles is an enormous source of gratification and honour for a doctor; and when that smile is drawn on the face of less fortunate children and young adults, it represents added value.nnOn the occasion of the Italian Navy’s 31st Naval Group mission in the Indo-Pacific, in recent weeks Smile House Fondazione ETS was invited to carry out a programme of surgical assistance for the populations of some of the countries where a stopover was planned. The Foundation’s collaboration with the Navy stems from a commendable effort undertaken in 2010, when, aboard the aircraft carrier Cavour, we brought aid to the people of Haiti during the earthquake that struck that country.nnNow, that experience of a joint mission has been repeated, one in which I had the enormous pleasure of taking part as President of the Foundation’s Scientific Committee, but above all in the role of paediatric intensivist and long-standing Smile House ETS volunteer.nnAboard the Cavour, Smile House Fondazione ETS created, with the support of the Navy’s doctors and nurses and with the help of Filipino colleagues first and Indian colleagues later, a positive synergy between peoples of different ethnicity and religion, tangibly demonstrating to the whole world that cultural or religious differences are not a limitation, but added value for forging collaborations and friendships that last over time.nnOur foreign colleagues, who were already familiar with our Foundation’s medical and surgical expertise, also had the opportunity to witness the efficiency and self-sacrifice of our service personnel, always helpful and professional aboard our flagship.nnThe two operating theatres of the ship Cavour worked without pause, first during the stopover in Manila in the Philippines and then during the one in Goa, in India. Dr Scopelliti, together with his Filipino colleague Dr Hector Santos and subsequently with his Indian colleague Dr Srinvas Gosla Reddy, operated on patients affected by facial malformations, whom all of us, volunteers and the ship’s medical staff, then cared for post-operatively, in a relationship of mutual trust and strong professional understanding, into which the colleagues of the Filipino and Indian teams integrated perfectly.nnThe parents of the treated patients, initially reluctant to board the ship, later praised the hospitality offered by our Navy; indeed, they stayed to sleep on board in comfortable cabins dedicated to them. Despite the strong Italian character of it all, even the food was prepared by our cooks with regard for the cultural needs of the various ethnic groups. But the parents were above all enthusiastic about the medical care provided, as well as the surgical skills of our doctors.nnThe commendable work of Smile House Fondazione ETS was also highlighted by the Italian Ambassadors to the host countries, invited on board during the stopovers in Manila and Goa, who expressed their appreciation for the high value that medical diplomacy holds in peaceful international relations. Both were able to see how the concept of Dual Use in the deployment of military resources brings an objective benefit to the civilian population.nnThe faces of the patients we operated on, reconstructed thanks to the skilful work of our surgeons, more than once brought a mist to the eyes of the sailors on board, service personnel with faces weathered by the salt air, certainly accustomed to other and very different experiences, yet it was another important and moving mission for all of us.nnFinally, with a mixture of sadness and gratitude, the time came to pack our bags and leave the ship, aboard which we had always felt protected and which, throughout our stay on board, represented Italian soil.nnBut, before disembarking, for all of us volunteer doctors and nurses of Smile House Fondazione ETS it was time for the customary photograph, in a hangar full of white uniforms. Admiral Ciappina, together with Commander Fagnani and the senior officers of the Navy on board, who made it possible for us Smile House volunteers to carry out these missions, set aside their strictly military bearing for a moment and, breaking with ceremonial protocol, come over, thank us with vigorous handshakes as is generally fitting among old friends, and even allow themselves a few brotherly embraces.nnEveryone still has in their eyes the smiles of the young and older patients, who brought life and cheer to the austere military hospital on board. Our long stay on the Cavour, our dedication, and the attention we devoted to our patients inevitably created bonds of deep respect and genuine friendship. And so, embracing a friend, even when he is an Admiral wearing an important military uniform, represents that small break from the rules that does the heart so much good.