Avis A SHORT HISTORY

1 14TH OCTOBER 1929 Seven people were killed and 30 were injured after a wagon collision occurred on the rail line Vigevano – . Pietro Bocca heard of the disaster and offered his help to Prof Saviozzi (Civil Hospital-Vigevano) with blood transfusions. The accident led to the foundation the first group of blood donors in Vigevano.

29TH APRIL 1932 Dr. Vittorio Formentano, who founded AVIS in 1927, wrote to Pietro Bocca: “We would be glad to found an AVIS subsection in Vigevano as well. To promote this initiative we’re going to come and meet you on Sunday, 11th September”. After their meeting Dr Formentano and Bocca began an intense correspondence but it led to no concrete results.

10TH JULY 1947 A small group of donors supported by Prof. Luigi Cattaneo, Medical Director of the Civil Hospital, officially founded the Blood Donors Association in Vigevano, Corso Milano 19.

1950 The Blood Donors Society in Vigevano asked for joining AVIS as it was officially recognized nationwide and it could guarantee to give constant assistance when required.The first laboratory was blessed and Maria Amodeo was awarded the first Gold Medal for her 75 blood donations.

1959 Seven Avis Donors went down in history as the first bone marrow donors to a footwear worker suffering from aplastic anemia transformed into leukemia (the so-called White Plague). The donors were: Pietro Bocca, Felice Calati, Pietro Zanetti, Carlo Pavesi, Ezio Zambruno, Antonio Mercalli, Giuseppe Papetti. Bocca and Calati turned out to be the most compatible donors for the patient. The transplant was performed at the Clinic of the University of by Prof Giuseppe Marinone, from Vigevano, who was part of Prof Paolo Introzzi’s medical team. That small group of seven people paved the way for the Bone Marrow Donors Association (ADMO) that was founded three decades later in 1990; in Vigevano ADMO saw the birth in 1993.

1964 The Ministerial Decree No. 400.7/637/T.57.2 established that the Civil Hospital in Vigevano could have its own transfusion centre. Initially AVIS Vigevano managed the medical team; later, in 1974 a Regional Government Decree of the Region No. 3/P/1/74 Prot. No. 511/74 entrusted the management of the transfusion centre to the Civil Hospital.

1995 On 2nd May the first plasmapheresis treatment is carried out in Vigevano.

2 2008

Avis Vigevano receives the “Scarpina d’Oro” award to “celebrate its 60th anniversary, stress its rooted presence on the territory, as well as the vital contribution on a provincial and regional scale, and highlight its numerous activities aiming at sensitizing the young of blood donation and solidarity”.

ASSOCIATIVE STRENGTH

As of 30.06.2012, Avis Vigevano gathers 2,777 actual donors, whereof 1,837 men accounting for 66.15 and 940 women making up 33.85%. The donors living in , Gambolò, Gravellona , etc. significantly contribute to Avis’ associative strength. According to some historical documents, the donors in Vigevano used to undergo blood transfusions before 1947, so that already in 1931 the local section aspired at joining AVIS NAZIONALE founded in 1927.

DONATIONS

Overall donations accounted for 6,115 units (6,131 in 2010) with a decrease of 16 points (0.26%) compared to the previous year. Donations of whole blood amounted to 5,197 (5,198 in 2010), while plasma donations added up to 918 (933 in 2010). These figures confirm both AVIS VIGEVANO’s leadership on a provincial scale and the strong sense of responsibility of the donors . During 2011 the Transfusion Service has paid great attention to the donors as regards the sanitary conditions and the management of a project called PROGETTO RISKIAA.

ASSOCIATIVE ACTIVITIES

Numerose e diversificate le iniziative promosse collateralmente all’attività donazionale

Beyond donations, a lot of different initiatives are fostered: 1. sports 2. conferences 3. lectures and promotion 4. school projects 5. newsletter directly with Avis Vigevano 6. internet website www.avisvigevano.org

3 LIST OF AVIS VIGEVANO’S PRESIDENTS

SINCE 1947

1947 – 1948 Luigi Cattaneo 1949 Luigi Robutti 1950 Antonio Alava 1951 vacant 1952 – 1980 Angelo Bono 1981 – 1983 Salvatore Pannella 1984 – 1986 Ugo Barinotti 1987 – 1998 Daniela Rossi Casè 1999 – 2004 Gianpiero Rigoni 2005 - 2008 Giuseppe Maestrone 2009 Giuseppe Maestrone

Translation by Silvia Nicolini

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