Silvana Occhino, a 67-year-old woman, discovered at the age of six that she was adopted. After numerous attempts to find her biological mother, she has decided to write to the mayor of Menfi, Vito Clemente, as she learned that her mother was from that town, asking for his help in making her story public. Silvana, born in 1956 in Palermo with the help of a midwife, is trying to reclaim her past with the assistance of her daughter Chiara Biondo. According to information obtained from her adoptive family, her mother at the time was a minor student who was forced by her family to abandon Silvana to avoid disgrace in the community. Silvana recalls that her mother, who had a speech impediment, was not allowed to hold her for even a few seconds after giving birth to her. She was locked in a room, and Silvana’s aunt, her adoptive mother, recounted that her mother pounded on the door, crying and screaming in distress. Silvana learned later that during the first months of her life, her mother repeatedly tried to see her outside the house in Palermo but was unsuccessful. Silvana’s adoptive parents, fearing her mother might take her back, threatened to call the police, and her mother promised to disappear. During her pregnancy, her mother stayed with her aunt, who owned a store selling bags and suitcases near the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. Silvana knows very little about her father, only that he was a textiles merchant. She has been searching for her mother for many years and wants to meet her, embrace her, and find out if she has any sisters or brothers. Silvana assures her mother that she will never judge her for what happened and that she has always thought about her since the day she found out she was adopted at the age of six.
L’appello di una donna: “Sono stata adottata 60 anni fa, voglio ritrovare mia madre biologica”
Palermo GN