Alpina can’t walk, but she can’t stop singing. “Music makes me feel alive. Alfina Fresta, unable to walk, helps her up and holds the microphone during the performance. The audience is even more surprised when the weak-seeming woman begins to sing in a loud, clear, lyrical voice. Alphina has spastic quadriplegia. Her mother, Antonela, says that her daughter is a “strength of a warrior” and that no obstacle has ever stopped her from achieving her goals.
As a child, the girl underwent several operations without noticeable improvement. Afterwards, Antonella says she asked her daughter to stop worrying about what’s wrong and to “focus on the future.” Now she performs frequently and makes videos to encourage other people with disabilities not to lock themselves in.
Alfina works with the Neon Cultural Association, an organization that supports the artistic engagement of people with disabilities. The video that made the woman world famous, she is supported by the president of the association, Stefania Ricciardello.