The tiny "Sleeping Princess" of the Andrea Doria was identified by her weeping father and mother in a Boston hospital where she lay gravely injured. The only clue to her identity was a gold ram's horn bracelet. Into the darkened room of the hospital walked Tulio Di Sandro, 35, and his wife Filomena, 29, who left their home in Milan, Italy, to give their only child, Norma, 4, a better chance in this country.
"Filomena cried a lot before we reached the hospital," said Di Sandro. "We both kept wondering the same thing: was this little girl Norma, or did she belong to someone else? I thought my wife was going to faint when we walked into the lobby, but she pulled herself together and then we went upstairs and we found our baby." Stepping close to the child's crib, Mrs. Di Sandro gasped, "Mia fillia bambina (my baby daughter),"
Then she slipped to her knees, a moment in prayer, and collapsed. The father collapsed a moment later. Both were put to bed in the hospital.
Passengers on the Andrea Doria, they had snatched up the child and fled to the deck when the ship collided. Seeing they would have to jump 15 feet, the father was afraid the little girl would drown, and dropped her into a boat. "Perhaps it was then she was hurt," he said sadly. She suffered a fractured skull and was taken aboard the Stockholm, then transferred by helicopter to Nantucket. Her parents meanwhile were picked up by the Ile de France. Surgeons performed an operation on Norma to relieve pressure on the brain and they listed her in serious condition. Eighteen hours later Norma died of her injury.
Photo 1 Coast Guard helicopter arriving with Norma in
Nantucket.
Photo 2 Filomena and Tulio DiSandro
The Miracle Girl
While Linda Morgan was recovering in St. Vincent's Hospital, Mr. Polanco was on a weekend leave from the Stockholm. On three occasions he attempted to visit Linda but was not allowed to see her until he could be cleared by her father, Edward P. Morgan.Finally on Sunday the 29th, he was allowed to see her. First, Sister Loretto Bernard, administrator of the hospital, gave Mr. Polanco a Miraculous Medal Of Our Lady.
Then Dr. Martin G. Vorhaus, Mr. Morgan's physician congratulated him.
Then Linda's father, who had also worked in Mexico greeted him with a hearty embrace. "Hombre, hombre" said Mr. Morgan, "Man, man how can I ever thank you."
Finally the overwhelmed little Spaniard, whose only daughter, Louisa is 4 years old, bent over Linda's bed and she hugged him with her free arm, the other arm was in traction.
Mr. Polanco asked all about her injuries and Linda was so excited she forgot the Spanish word for "knees". But someone prompted "rodillas," and she smiled and resumed her conversation with her friend. Then everyone else, except her father, tiptoed out of the room.
Kissing Linda goodbye, Mr. Polanco left the hospital while Linda napped.
