The Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in Melbourne has a long tradition of contributing to the community, with a fundraiser organised to support a cause or charity each year.

“It’s part of our mandate,” explained ICCI President Adrian LoGiudice during a live interview on Il Globo TV. “We decided to partner with St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Fitzroy through their Foundation, because I believe it’s important to build a long-term relationship with an institution.

“This way, we get to know their needs better and [are able to] coordinate charitable activities in the day-to-day.”

Fundraising won’t be limited to the most important event of the year, the Italian Business Awards Gala, but will be continued on an ongoing basis by ICCI in cooperation with St Vincent’s Foundation.

The connection with St Vincent’s Private, one of Melbourne’s historic hospitals with a 131-year history, came from what was a difficult time for LoGiudice, who, in 2023, was diagnosed with cancer.

“Last October, after an MRI scan done because I was feeling a pain in my back that I thought was caused by physical activity, I was sent to St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Fitzroy for further investigations, which eventually led to the identification of a tumour in my spine at the T12 vertebra,” LoGiudice shared.

The ICCI president said he was very fortunate to have been cared for by a team of doctors who, after diagnosing his tumour and deciding to remove it, successfully did so during an operation that lasted more than four hours.

“It was a dark time, but the staff at St Vincent’s were wonderful,” he said.

It was during those days of enforced rest after surgery that he began to learn more about how the hospital worked, its facilities and what equipment it provided for patient care.

“Given my situation, the doctors had to implant titanium in my spine, and to do this they used robotics, which provides greater precision,” LoGiudice explained.

“Although, despite this, I was told that I had a 1 in 300 chance of never walking again.”

From a period of extreme uncertainty came a call for generosity that will change the lives of others who are, or will in the future, be in the same situation.

“Thanks to my role as president of the Chamber of Commerce, I was able to find a way to support the expansion of St Vincent’s Private Hospital,” LoGiudice said, referring to the construction of a 12-story tower that began last year.

The tower will expand the hospital’s capacity, guaranteeing access to first-rate care for an additional 20,000 patients. The tower will also boast state-of-the-art facilities, top-notch specialists and worldclass machinery.

The ICCI Melbourne’s ambitious goal is to raise $1 million for St Vincent’s Foundation. In order to achieve this, LoGiudice invites the entire Italian community, which has always been attentive to the less fortunate and committed to charity, to donate.

The St Vincent’s Foundation has published on its website a page dedicated to the fundraiser organised in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne. To access it, click here.