A scooter from Pope Francis — elderly couple receives gift of mobility

An elderly couple with disabilities on the outskirts of Rome now has an electric scooter, thanks to a gift from Pope Francis.

Both the man and the woman suffer from many health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes, Vatican Radio reports. The woman’s leg was recently amputated. Thanks to the new scooter, the couple can be more independent.

The papal almoner Archbishop Konrad Krajewski sent the gift on behalf of Pope Francis.

The couple is being assisted by the Italian organization Medicina Solidale. The organization had planned to raise funds for the scooter before the Pope’s gift.

“(T)he Pope never ceases to amaze us,” said Lucia Ercoli, the group’s director. The group had received support in the form of medicine, food and an ambulance.

“In this way, we feel less alone in our daily work, less abandoned by institutions,” she said. With Pope Francis “we feel close and always present,” she added.

Medicina Sodiale was founded in 2003 to work with the poor, the disadvantaged and those who may be excluded from ordinary health care services.

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