The power of love

 

By Januaria Piromallo

It has been an honor for me to be a friend of Kirsten and John Sutin (pictured above). As many of you have heard, Kirsten was a professional horse rider and on May 7 2010 she fell off her horse causing a spinal cord injury that left her tetraplegic from the neck on. Her life is now suspended in time like the thin line of sand within an "hourglass", as she said,  but the will to survive always triumphs. Kirsten without moving from her bed in the Paraplegic Center of Nottwill, the leading clinic in Europe (there are only few: one in Israel and in the United States), she is "moving" emotionally around the whole world.

THIS IS THE MIRACLE OF LOVE. Kirsten has kept a tender smile and a sparkle in her blue/green eyes.  She looks as gorgeous as ever. As Helmut Newton, the cult-photograph, took pictures of Kirsten on horse for French Vogue, said: "She is the most gracious creature. She should never get off from that horse!”  Now Kirsten has created a chain of love and compassion around herself. 
Sometimes in everyday life we forget how important friendship is, and we forget even to ask to our dearest: "How are you today?" Kirsten made us discover the best in ourselves.
Even though the doctor said that she has only a slight chance of recovery, she is full of hope. She has become a true inspiration, she is a living lesson on life for everybody who visits her. People from all walks of life have come to her: from a Royal Highness to the local electrician. All of Gstaad has shown her to have a big heart!
She has had Mario, the pianist of the Olden, Sammy Bach, the entrepreneur Alby Obrist, and the socialite Leonidas Goulandris and Ninette Fix. Flying from Paris Marcel Rozier, a worldwide equestrian champion, from Rome the jewelery designer Fawaz De Grisogono with Chantal Montanarella, the Oscar winning Gianni Quaranta,  H.H Prince Pierre and Silvia, Bernadette Lejeune and Corso Serra di Cassano, Ivo Pintaguy, Prince Vittorio Emanuele and Marina di Savoia, and Tess, Marianna and Pino from the Eagle Club. Ernst Frautschi and Kay Matti sent her a touching letter.  But the list of visitors is too long and I am sorry if I cannot mention them all.
Her dear husband, John Sutin made her room with all the comforts of home, including a little kitchen where I cook for her Neapolitan spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and basil.
Thanks to Kirsten I had the chance to meet a wonderful man, Dr. Guido A. Zäch, the founder of the Paraplegic Center. He is a true humanitarian, helping patients from the bottom of his heart. He is also a good looking man with some resemblance to the French actor Michel Piccoli. His compassion runs deep, he is the kind of man who everybody would love to have as a family doctor. He has a unique ability of showing people, even those who are badly injured, that they are still the same person. And we have to work on what we have and not complain about what we have lost.  This is a kind of lesson that can be useful to everybody. We were all there to personally congratulate Dr. Zach for the twentieth anniversary of his clinic. Hopefully there are many more years to come.

He said about Kirsten that she is a woman with a very strong personality and will. Inside her mind she is flying like a butterfly. As Jean-Dominique Bauby, wrote in "La Farfalla e lo Scafandro", the story of his own vegetative state:  "Also immobility can be a source of joy".
We are all proud to be part of Kirsten’s recovery process and we will support her with our friendship in any way she needs. Because, my adorata Kirsten,  like the touching movie of Spanish filmmaker Amenabar suggested: you will find "the sea inside you" . And remember just in ourselves are triumphs and defeat...

Comments

[Katherine]

I do not know the Sutins personally, but as an annual visitor to Gstaad - my heart goes out to them both. I wish Kirsten love and inner strength. It sounds as though she has a wonderful support system and is surrounded by a lot of love which can work wonders for the spirit.

[Harry]

this article is ridiculous.

[To Harry]

Your ridiculous...Guess you don't know what compassion is!

[Harry]

Surely you mean YOU'RE ridiculous?
Perhaps I do not know compassion like you do, but I do know that it is about more than name dropping, and in particular I think somebody with true compassion would not cite a quote that reads "Also immobility can be a source of joy", do you think the subject of YOUR article would agree with this???

[Terence]

I came across this article while scrolling the internet looking for stories about compassionate people. However, I seem to be slightly confused as to why this person is compassionate. I would really love to know, if you don't mind of course, some stories that tell us about her kind, gentle and giving nature; stories I can treasure personally as well as pass on to others at my local church (Mildred will love just them). I am one, I admit, for a tale or two of compassion!

[Gertrude-Beatrice]

Hello,
My name is Gertrude, I am a medical journalist specializing in mental strength and compassion for speedy recovery of injuries, particularly paralysis.

I was inspired by the story of this woman's ability to see past class differences and accept help from her local electrician. Mrs Sutin will be featured in my latest piece on "Compassion for Recovery from Paralysis", and in this context, I would be grateful for some information about this local electrician -- his name, affiliation, and contact details. I would highly appreciate your help and may the world be inspired by her strength.

[Crass Cassie]

Is the writer of this article writing for her 'vegetative' friend? or she writing it to try and get laid with her friend's doctor who looks like Michel Piccoli?

[Terence]

I came across this article while scrolling the internet looking for stories about compassionate people. However, I seem to be slightly confused as to why this person is compassionate. I would really love to know....hang on. I've already visited this site. Sorry my mistake.

[Gunther Francois Percival the XIX of Pretentious-Ville]

This comment will not refer to the subjects of the article, since there is not enough objective data to make any remarks on that.

That being said, a couple of comments for the creature who wrote this "article":

1. My name is not actually Gunther Francois Percival the XIX of Pretentious-Ville. Since you apparently seem mentally challenged, I wanted to make that clear to you.

2. You can't speak English / write in it. Here are just a couple of examples.

"It has been an honor for me to be a friend of Kirsten and John Sutin" - - therefore you are not a friend anymore.

"Inside her mind she is flying like a butterfly" - - inside your mind you are flying like an illiterate, pretentious, void of substance, daddy's-little-girl wannabe artist.

3. Januaria - really? really? really?

4. "He is a true humanitarian [..]He is also a good looking man" - - let's try keeping it in our pants Januaria, huh?

5. X-ray of you article:
Tragic accident, Expensive Clinic, Cult-Photographer, Apparently Famous People, More Apparently Famous People, Some Other Apparently Famous People , Loving Husband, Januaria's hard-on for the doc, Weird artsy/ apparently famous statement: joy in immobility - WTF, Failed vague artsy ending

My "adorata" Januaria, I truly hope you will also find the "sea inside you" [WTF (?!)] and go really really deep in it and rid us of your journalistic misery.

[Terence]

I came across this article while scrolling the internet looking for stories about compassionate people. However, I seem to be slightly confused as to why this person is compassionate. I would really love to know....hang on. Damn, I've done it again. Apologies to all.

[No More Gypsies]

ROMANIANS are not GYPSIES ! ! ! ! ROMANIANS are not GYPSIES ! ! ! !

We are hard-working people that want to prove to Iurope that we diserve to be European Union! We com from Roman Empire, Traian and the brave Dacians, Decebal. We belong in da culturakl and historical hart of Iurope ! ! ! Just like Gstaad, France!

Gypsies are slaves that come from India and they are thiefs and rapists and nopthing good about them! ! They are lazy and they make pots and spoons!

They go in Iurope and make shame of Romanians ! ! ! We hate them, my family hates them too ! !

Thank you Mr. Sarkozy for showing the gypsies what they diserve ! ! !

Thank you France for putting the Gypsies out of your country ! !

We are going to make a France-Day in my village, in Capusa de Sus (Capusa of High)to celebrate your president, Mr Sarkozy and France for their patriotic actions!

Tank you Gstaad and the wandarful peopal that live in it! Thank you Gstaad and France for supporting killing all the Gypsies

[No More Gypsies]

ROMANIANS are not GYPSIES ! ! ! ! ROMANIANS are not GYPSIES ! ! ! !

We are hard-working people that want to prove to Iurope that we diserve to be European Union! We com from Roman Empire, Traian and the brave Dacians, Decebal. We belong in da culturakl and historical hart of Iurope ! ! ! Just like Gstaad, France!

Gypsies are slaves that come from India and they are thiefs and rapists and nopthing good about them! ! They are lazy and they make pots and spoons!

They go in Iurope and make shame of Romanians ! ! ! We hate them, my family hates them too ! !

Thank you Mr. Sarkozy for showing the gypsies what they diserve ! ! !

Thank you France for putting the Gypsies out of your country ! !

We are going to make a France-Day in my village, in Capusa de Sus (Capusa of High)to celebrate your president, Mr Sarkozy and France for their patriotic actions!

Tank you Gstaad and the wandarful peopal that live in it! Thank you Gstaad and France for supporting killing all the Gypsies

[Mildred]

Hi, my name is Mildred, friend of Terence.

I have to issue an apology to all those who have posted their comments and to the writer of the article as well. I'm afraid Terence is exactly all he makes himself out to be. You see he hasn't been scrolling as such the internet for compassionate stories; I came home from work (I'm his carer) to find him switching between two websites, this one and an online forum named "how to convince a caterpillar not to turn into a butterfly." All this is superfluous information of course and I wish very much that the lady in question, Kirsty or whatever, continues to show compassion and love to the world around her. Sorry again about Terence, I will keep him away from the computer in future.

Thanks, all the best, Mildred.

[Spread the love 2010]

Men need to stop subordinating women! That is the moral of this story!

[Marianna and Pino from the Eagle Club]

My Dear LORD, the Creator of all things living. TERENCE AND MILDRED !!!! How long has it been since we have not spoken? You must remember your dear friends Marianna and Pino from the Eagle Club?
It must be since 1962 that we have not spoken as that was the year of the birth of our sons, Peter Eagle Club II and Mildred Junior, what a miracle that was, when Marianna and Mildred gave birth in the same hospital room grasping one another's clammy hands. It has always pained me to think how we have lost touch throughout these years and here I am thinking you may have passed away and I see your beautiful names and comments here, what a blessing. Please write me if your heart so desires. With God's love and blessings, Marianna and Pino from the Eagle Club.

[james]

If I consider a polemic here useless on this case, it's true that the "VIP list" mentioned is a bit out of place and discredit the whole paper.
Frienship and fidelity has to be discreet.
I would prefer to see the names of the nurses for instance.

[nostalgia]

It has been two years since I last laid eyes on this nonsense and unsurprisingly it is still nonsense!