NEWS | Wednesday, 26 November 2008

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It was cold in Sutton a few weeks ago. It will be colder still come Christmastime, especially in the hearts of all the Maltese children strapped to a drip in a hospital bed at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Children who visited England not as a treat for good behaviour, but as a necessity to try to live till the morrow.
Since some weeks ago, promos have been informing us of the plight of these children and their families, and of the efforts by Puttinu Cares Foundation, to make life more bearable for them. This has included a massive step in the form of a loan for the purchase of three apartments. These apartments will be providing accommodation and refuge to the parents who accompany their children who need therapy against cancer in UK hospitals, especially the Royal Marsden which is within walking distance.
The Bla Agenda crew witnessed the inauguration and blessing of these apartments when the Archbishop Paul Cremona blessed these apartments which were officially opened by Mrs Catherine Gonzi. Mrs Michelle Muscat was also invited by the Puttinu Cares Committee to form part of the official delegation. Norman Hamilton and Dr Joe Mifsud, together with members of the Puttinu Cares Foundation, children with their families, witnessed this dream come true. Illness shrouds a person in sadness but the unity of that day lit a beacon of hope that one day these children’s hardships will be less.
These families are facing two kind of hardships. The first one is of seeing their children fighting a cruel battle against a disease that might kill them. The second is the separation from their relatives and the loss income through absence from work. These parents may have to spend up to a year or more away from Malta, hoping for a miracle for their loved ones, and during this time expenses on flights and accommodation run up to an exorbitant sum. That is why Puttinu Cares organises such fundraising activities, to cover these costs. Air Malta offers cut – price rates on its flights.
The acquisition of these apartments means that parents will have guaranteed free accomodation in a Maltese-owned property. However Puttinu Cares now faces the challenge of paying off the loan on these apartments. One day all the loan will be paid off and money will start being spent on apartments to be bought for adult patients who also undergo such treatment. To reach that milestone Puttinu Cares Foundation are asking for help in this noble feat.
On 29 November, ONE TV will be airing the BLA AGENDA Special from Sutton London, in a bid to help raise funds for this cause. As a starting point, Norman Hamilton will be donating all revenue from the advertising of the same programme to the Puttinu Cares Foundation. Viewers are urged to dig deep and contribute for this act of social responsibility towards all the children currently hospitalised at the Rainbow Ward at Mater Dei, and towards the ones who will be spending a lonely Christmas in a hospital bed in the UK.
All donations will make sure that these apartments will one day become a Maltese property, and money will no longer be spent on rent to foreigners but on care for Maltese patients.

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