I was looking forward for the year 2012 as i was going to have my sweet 16 and it was my last year at the secondary school. It was the 1st of January when my mother passed away peacefully after fighting cancer for 11 years.

I started loosing weight and I was always feeling tired, one day I couldn’t see properly from my left eye and I was loosing focus and direction. Everyone was saying that it’s because of my mum’s death and it was the stress that was getting to me. I went to a neurologist and he sent me straight away to hospital to do tests such as M.R.I, ct scan and so on.. Just after 2 months of my mum’s death I was diagnosed with left paramenial embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. The first thing that came up to my mind was that I was going to join mummy very soon, but then I said: ” No my mother always fought she tried her very best and I’m going to do the same I’m going to walk on her steps”. The doctors told us that i have to take the radiotherapy in the UK, it was quite a big shock for us, but Puttinu came knocking on our door instead of we knocking on theirs.

They were there to help us from the very beginning of my journey battling against cancer. I started chemo therapy in Malta and after 1 month and a half I was flown to the UK to continue chemo therapy there and start radio therapy as well. We were quite afraid to go to the UK but Puttinu told us : “All You have to think about is yourself now and the clothes you’re going to take with you”, and they were true to their words, we didn’t have to worry about a thing. That gave us a huge relief and helped us focus only on me getting better. If it wasn’t for Puttinu I wouldn’t be here today. Puttinu is the angel for all the families that have to go to the UK for therapy. The fact that gave us the flat was more than an enough they helped us in every way, they did all the possible and impossible things for us. I never thought I was ever going to benefit from puttinu and I always gave a donation because my parents always said we never know when we need to benefit and we have to share what we have with others. I can never thank them enough. All I can do is ask people to give them their full support and help them in every way they can.

Today together with Kayleigh Caruana and Jerome Frendo, I am co-ordinating the Puttinu youth volunteers.

Martina Fenech