A busy pediatrician, servant of the poor, wife, and mother: Gianna Molla did all she could for God’s people, right down to giving her very life for another.
Gianna was born in Magenta, not far from Milan where Carlo Acutis lived, in 1922 on the feast of Francis of Assisi (her parents were Third Order Franciscans). She was the tenth of thirteen children and suffered from chronically poor health, so she stayed close to home and became a Roman Catholic medical professional, earning her degree in 1949 with a pediatrics specialization.
Pietro and Gianna met in 1954 and were engaged just four months later. They were married in 1955 and had four children together: Pierluigi, Mariolina, Laura, and Gianna.
While Gianna Molla was pregnant with baby Gianna, she developed a fibroma – an oft-benign tumor made of tissue – on her uterus. She was given three options: a hysterectomy, a removal of the tissue only, or an abortion. Having spent her life practicing her Catholic faith and integrating it into her career, Gianna opted for the fibroma to be removed only. As a doctor and as a mother, her conscience and her heart told Gianna that her baby’s life was more important than hers.
Gianna Emanuela was born on April 21, 1962 – Holy Saturday – and Gianna Molla died from a widespread tissue infection just one week later. Pietro wrote a biography of her life a decade later and dedicated it to their four children, and Gianna Emanuela is a doctor now, too, just like her mother.
Hear more about the inspiring and heart-aching story of Gianna Molla on Monday, May 6th at thesaintspodcast.com!
