Earthquake damage in L'Aquila.

I felt a tremendous shaking that went deep into the ground. At that moment, I understood that even if the epicenter was not on the coastline, wherever it hit had surely been severely damaged. I quickly exited onto my terrace and saw many of my neighbors on the street below, in their pajamas. Everyone huddled together in groups, fearful that something larger was about to arrive. Since I believe in destiny and was scheduled to begin adjusting my patients early the next morning, I went back inside and attempted to sleep. The next morning, the radio confirmed that 60 miles away, the city of L’Aquila had been destroyed by a jolt of 5.9 on the Richter scale. On hearing the news, my initial instinct was to rush quickly to the site, but the news announcer advised against such spontaneous gestures because they could add to the confusion.

Panic and Fear, Followed by Openness and Compassion

Dr. Chris Cerrato at CRI military camp, Paganica.

Over the next few days, the tone of my city changed dramatically; many of my patients and friends started sleeping in their cars. Panic and fear began to paralyze people and the constant aftershocks did nothing to allay their understandable concern. One afternoon, my office building started shaking while I was in the middle of a side posture adjustment with a patient. We decided to run out in a hurry because it seemed like the building was about to collapse.

Amidst the disorder, I noticed something unexpected and deeply touching. People on the street who under normal circumstances might merely have exchanged brief glances, began to share heartfelt gestures of mutual compassion. Connecting with others was our natural response to shared trauma. But while this was comforting, the fear remained. Soon, I started to have difficulty sleeping. Every time my dog barked or acted strangely, I was ready to take the escape route out of my building. I felt disempowered and destabilized. As a chiropractor who is used to solving problems rather than passively reacting to them, I found this upsetting and unacceptable.

Drs. Daniel Rigel and Eduardo Aguilar at fire fighters base camp, Coppito.

At a certain point, I said “Enough!!” and realized that I had to do something. The next day, an ambulance set up a blood donation station in the piazza below my office. I volunteered twice to donate blood but they turned me away because my blood pressure was too low. Disappointed, I returned to my office, where I read on the Internet that the singer Madonna had just donated $500,000 to help those in the land of her grandparents. She said, “I am happy to give a hand to the Italian city from which my ancestors came. My heart goes out to the families that have lost their beloved or their houses.” In that moment, I felt deep admiration for her. I also thought, “I am Italian-American as well. I may not have $500,000 in the bank that I can donate to charity, but I am a chiropractor. My job consists of making a positive change in people’s lives for their health and well-being.”