Editorial

Annabelle Vassallo must be mourned in a special way because, as was stated by Gift of Life, the dignity and vigour with which she lived a life with terminal cancer touched so deeply all those who knew about her.

As one can see from her autobiography, the proceeds of which go towards the Puttinu Cares Foundation and the sterling work it is doing among child cancer patients, the very real trial of suffering became a source of bravery for Annabelle.

Her courage was very evident: “I have a relationship with my tumour. My wheezing gets worse at night and I start arguing with the cancer: ‘You and I have to decide, we’re either going to make friends or we’re enemies. Isn’t it better if we’re friends?’ Sometimes the wheezing stops... Then, when it returns, I urge it to throw itself off Għar Lapsi cliffs,” she said in an interview with The Sunday Times a few days before last Christmas.

Annabelle’s testimony should inspire and encourage first and foremost those undergoing a time of trial, which can sometimes be hard for our feeble human strength to endure. Her message should also be seen as reflecting what such people have to say, in terms of appreciation and encouragement, about the attention and care they deserve from their families and, through the dedicated work of members of health care institutions, in meeting the physical and other needs of the sick.

Those who are ill must never feel they are a burden: they are human beings like all the rest. The terminally ill, in particular, deserve the solidarity, communion and affection of those around them. Therefore, the sickness of a family member, friend or neighbour is a call to demonstrate true compassion and that gentle and persevering sharing in another’s pain. Moreover, doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who deal with people in their time of anguish, when they have an acute sense of life’s fragility and precariousness, need to always bear in mind their work is directed to individuals, unique persons.

Many are the health care professionals who, like the Good Samaritan, keep close to and serve the sick and suffering, respecting first of all their dignity as persons. They are encouraged to also guard against the indifference that may result from habit. Indeed, every day they have to renew their commitment to being brothers and sisters to all, with no discrimination. To the irreplaceable contribution of their professionalism, they are called to add the “heart”, which alone can give them humanity.

In a culture that has difficulty in defining the meaning of life, death and suffering, Annabelle’s human witness, inspired by her faith, also has a remarkable message to Christian believers: “Death does not scare me because of the promise Jesus made to us when He told his disciples: ‘I’m going to prepare a room for you’. That gives me a lot of hope. I just want to meet Jesus. I imagine this room he’s preparing for me is a place where there is no pain, no more chemotherapy, where I can be healthy again. That’s what I imagine,” she said in the interview.

Her courage in the face of great difficulty was inspirational. Every last drop of life must be cherished, she wrote in her last SMS. She will remain very much a beacon of courage and hope for many people, especially those who are suffering. Life can beautiful even for the terminally ill. Annabelle’s life attests to that.