Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Solo un anno fa era un progetto, un obiettivo da raggiungere insieme. Oggi quelle stanze, quei corridoi e quegli spazi pensati per accogliere bambini e famiglie sono diventati realtà. È stato inaugurato oggi il nuovo reparto di Trapianto di midollo osseo pediatrico ‘Monica e Luca Folonari’ dell’ospedale dei bambini della Asst Spedali Civili di Brescia, completamente riqualificato grazie all’impegno di Ail Brescia Odv e Fondazione della Comunità Bresciana, insieme alla straordinaria risposta del territorio.
Un intervento del valore complessivo di 1,5 milioni di euro, nato dalla necessità di adeguare gli spazi di un reparto che rappresenta da decenni un punto di riferimento nella cura dei bambini affetti da patologie onco-ematologiche e altre gravi malattie che richiedono il trapianto di cellule staminali.
Il progetto . informa una nota – nasce per la necessaria e ineludibile ristrutturazione del precedente reparto già dedicato a Monica e Luca Folonari: Ail Brescia e il Fondo ‘Cavaliere del Lavoro Francesco Folonari, Monica e Luca Folonari’, costituito da Luisa Marchesani Folonari presso Fondazione della Comunità Bresciana, hanno garantito una parte fondamentale delle risorse necessarie, dando il via a una grande mobilitazione per raggiungere l’intero obiettivo economico.
Da quel momento Brescia ha risposto. Associazioni, fondazioni, imprese, cittadini, gruppi e iniziative solidali hanno scelto di sostenere il progetto, trasformando una raccolta fondi in un vero percorso di comunità.
Una parte importante delle risorse – si legge – è arrivata attraverso la campagna promossa da Ail Brescia, che nei mesi ha raccontato il progetto anche grazie al ‘Diario di bordo di Tom’, realizzato con il supporto del Giornale di Brescia.
Attraverso Tom, volto simbolico dei bambini che affrontano il percorso verso il trapianto, abbiamo raccontato l’attesa, la ricerca di un donatore, le persone incontrate lungo il cammino e, soprattutto, quella rete di solidarietà che si è costruita passo dopo passo attorno al progetto. Una rete che è diventata sempre più ampia e che ha coinvolto aziende, fondazioni, associazioni e singoli donatori, tutti uniti dalla scelta di fare propria questa sfida. È grazie a questa mobilitazione che AIL Brescia e Fondazione della Comunità Bresciana hanno potuto completare la raccolta delle risorse necessarie. Oggi quella grande partecipazione prende forma in qualcosa di concreto: un nuovo luogo di cura, ancora più sicuro, accogliente e pensato per accompagnare i bambini e le loro famiglie in uno dei momenti più delicati del loro percorso.
In parallel with the fundraising effort, AIL Brescia—the press release details—assumed an operational role in the implementation of the project, overseeing the project from the design phase through to the completion of the new ward. AIL Brescia entrusted DA.MA. Engineering, represented by surveyor Michele Canciani and engineer Stefano Dioni, with the design of the ward. The Association also oversaw, together with the appointed professionals, the selection of the companies and suppliers involved in the project. Since construction began in July 2025, AIL Brescia has monitored every phase of the project day after day, ensuring the quality and attention to detail of the project. This commitment was not limited to structural and technical aspects, but also encompassed everything that contributes to the daily life of the ward: from the furnishings to the beds, from the televisions to the choice of colors. Every detail was designed to create a safe, functional, and welcoming environment for the children and their families, as well as for the healthcare workers who live and work in these spaces every day.
The new department at the Children's Hospital of the Asst Spedali Civili of Brescia was designed to meet the healthcare standards required for an extremely delicate procedure like pediatric transplants and, at the same time, to improve the quality of stay for children and their families. The project included the construction of five positive-pressure patient rooms, each equipped with a pre-chamber filter and private bathroom; new medical and nursing spaces, storage areas, changing rooms, restrooms and family areas, as well as advanced technological systems and systems for monitoring patients' vital signs. Therefore, it is not simply a renovation of the spaces. The new BMT was created to offer young patients an even more protected, functional, and welcoming environment during one of the most complex moments of their treatment journey, and to provide their families with spaces to support what can be a long and difficult stay.
The new department builds on a clinical and scientific history that began many years ago. Since 1990, over 700 children from Italy and abroad have undergone stem cell transplants at the Spedali Civili pediatric BMT. As of June 2025, 724 young patients had been treated. Over the years, the Stem Cell Laboratory, which has always treated these children, has also developed techniques that allow for haploidentical transplants, making it possible in certain cases to use stem cells from a parent who is not fully compatible. This clinical expertise, recognized internationally, required spaces commensurate with the quality of care offered. With the inauguration of the new pediatric BMT, Brescia now offers children and their families a renovated facility that combines healthcare excellence, technology, safety, and personal care. Adding to this commitment is Ail Brescia, which, thanks to the funds raised through its 2025 Christmas campaign, will support free psychological and nutritional support programs for young patients and their families, combining treatment with concrete attention to their well-being throughout their illness.
The department will continue to bear the name of Monica and Luca Folonari, children of Luisa Marchesani Folonari, who passed away prematurely. This dedication takes on an even deeper meaning today. Luisa Marchesani Folonari passed away last July, just a few months after the inauguration of the new department, after having followed and supported a project in which she had deeply believed. Throughout her life, marked by painful losses, she transformed her grief into a concrete commitment to others, with particular attention to the most vulnerable, children, families coping with illness, and the elderly. This generosity, always accompanied by great discretion, found expression in the "Cavaliere del Lavoro Francesco Folonari, Monica and Luca Folonari" Fund, established by the Fondazione della Comunità Bresciana and instrumental in making the pediatric IMT redevelopment possible.
"Behind every child who comes to this department is a family that places trust and hope in our healthcare staff. Forty years ago, the cure rate in pediatric hematology-oncology was as high as 65%. Today," says Luigi Cajazzo, general director of the Asst Spedali Civili di Brescia, "we have a 90% survival rate. Alongside the extraordinary work of the entire facility led by Dr. Porta, it was essential to provide adequate space and advanced technology to ensure greater peace of mind for patients and families. I sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this achievement."
"More than twenty-five years ago," recalls Giuseppe Navoni, president of Ail Brescia OdV, "my daughter Alessandra was in this department. She's no longer with us, but I've never forgotten what it means to be the father of a little girl who walks through those doors. AIL Brescia exists partly for stories like ours: to be there when a family's life suddenly changes. We've invested resources, commitment, and, above all, our history and that of the thousands of people who have chosen to be with us over the years. Today, as I look at these rooms, I think of Alessandra and every child who will come here. It's for them that Ail Brescia will continue to be here, until the day a department like this is no longer needed."
"This inauguration represents much more than the completion of a construction project. It is the result of an alliance between public health, the Third Sector, philanthropy, businesses, and citizens: the same collaboration that, from the project's presentation, was identified as a central element of the project. And above all, it demonstrates what can happen when a community recognizes a need and decides to address it. Our Foundation," emphasizes Mario Mistretta, President of FCB, "does exactly this: it represents a safe place where those who wish to express their generosity find the breeding ground for truly generative philanthropy."
"Unfortunately, Mrs. Luisa was unable to see the department completed and inaugurated for a few months, but the new OMT now also represents an important part of her legacy: a place named after her children, where their memory will continue to translate, every day, into care, hospitality, and future prospects for many other children and their families. This important achievement," concludes Orietta Filippini, general director of FCB, "is also the fruit of a shared project, made possible by the generosity of the 'Cavaliere del Lavoro Francesco Folonari, Monica, and Luca Folonari' Fund and AIL Brescia, and by the invaluable support of eight other Foundation Funds and a company, who have chosen to join together to transform a shared dream into a concrete reality for the community."
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