“In 2017 I discovered I have cancer”: three surgeries and twelve cycles of chemotherapy ensue. «In the morning while having breakfast I would cry: because of the illness and because I was finding it harder and harder to have to go to work. This is how I developed the conviction: I could do what I wanted as a child “
PORDENONE. He was one step away from fulfilling a dream he had cherished since adolescence when the pandemic got in the way, which postponed, but not canceled, his project. But for her it was not a huge obstacle, having had to overcome other much heavier ones, such as a cardiac arrest in the workplace and cancer. So, when he cut the ribbon of his bar, a broad smile did not prevent even the tear of emotion, surrounded by customers and friends of a lifetime.
Gabriella Gerunda, 38, from Pordenone, appears in the world of public exercises. His working life began as soon as he came of age: fifteen years as a home assistant in the province of Udine – between Pagnacco, Pasian di Prato and Basaldella – employed by a cooperative in Venice. At that juncture the first “hitch” occurs: Gabriella was at work, in the Santa Margherita di Fossalta di Portogruaro retirement home, when she was struck by cardiac arrest. It was her colleagues who immediately gave her the massage, also using the defibrillator.
Obstacle, and what an obstacle, overcome, rehabilitation, a year of unemployment and then the competition, as observer, banned by the Pordenone health authority. In 2013 Gabriella enters the service of the Pordenone emergency room. “At one point I couldn’t keep up with the shifts,” and she was moved to the pain therapy office. However, the “joke” of the heart was not enough. “In 2017 I discovered I have cancer”: three interventions and twelve cycles of chemotherapy ensue. «In the morning, having breakfast, I cried: because of the illness and because I was finding it harder and harder to have to go to work. Thus I became convinced that it was not my world. As a young man, I sometimes approached my profession as a barista. Why not go back to basics? I started visiting some places in and around Pordenone, but they didn’t convince me ». At the same time, he attends courses in the administration of food and beverages at Ascom and other sector initiatives. “In September 2019 I find the place that really strikes me: it is located in Travesio, about thirty kilometers from home, but this is not a problem”.
A wine bar that, thanks to the large spaces, can also develop the kitchen and the terrace. Approach the owner, we agree on the passage of the consequences. But just at that moment the pandemic arrives that blocks the project. Then the second wave, last spring. Gabriella doesn’t give up: «At a certain point I said: just do it».
And so, in Piazza XX Settembre, “Al Travesio” opened (open every day from 6.30 to 14.30 and from 17 to 22, excluding Mondays). Behind the counter there are her, Gabriella, and the former owner Sonia, who accompanies the change: Micaela, from the area, will soon arrive.
On the eve “I cried all day, it’s a real change of life”, but now “I really do something I like.” Supported by her husband Massimiliano Comelli and daughters Elektra and Zoe, yesterday afternoon, therefore, she cut the ribbon by starting the nuova adventure.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome the opening of a business in the area after an uncertain period caused by the pandemic. They are signs of hope that attest to the resourcefulness and tenacity of our entrepreneurs confident in a better future. Best wishes to the owner for a well-deserved entrepreneurial success », said Deputy Mayor Sergio Bottacin, with the councilor Andrea Giannini.
Applause, best wishes and off you go with the first coffee.
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