When teenager Jacob Cachia was lying in a hospital bed, recovering from a rare brain infection, he asked his mother to tell his story to spread a message of hope to others going through tough times.
Now that the worst is over and Jacob – who has become known as Titanium Man – is on a steady road to recovery, his mother, Sarah, is determined the share their story.
His wish has become hers and she is writing a book about the experience, driven by the urge to be of support to others.
“In the book I talk about my family, how we were, the shock of seeing my son laying there in ITU after being taken suddenly ill, of no longer having the power of a mother to kiss and make it all better. I talk of my son’s will to live.
“How we, my family, coped when our world was falling apart and how we picked up the pieces to rebuild our lives after Jacob’s remarkable recovery surviving against the odds.
In the book I talk about no longer having the power of a mother to kiss and make it all better
“I talk of his desire to tell his story to inspire others and the creation of Survivors Malta,” she says.
Survivors Malta is the Facebook support group that Ms Cachia and her family set up after realising that, when they were going through the experience, they craved to hear stories of survivors so that they could dare to hope.
Jacob had contracted a brain infection in January last year and left the hospital in June following three operations that included removing part of his skull that could not be put back in place due to swelling. This left the right side of his brain vulnerable and, last month, he underwent an operation to replace the missing part of his skull with a titanium plate – earning him the proud nickname Titanium Man.
All throughout the family clutched on to any ray of hope and are sharing that with others through the support group and, now, through the book.
“Jacob has been asking me to tell his story since ITU. To will him to live I would tell him that he would live to be an old man sitting on a bench telling his amazing story to the children of his children.
“Back then he kept insisting: ‘Mum tell my story, tell my story.’ But I was too weak and sick myself to do so. Now I have found my strength. I have written a first draft from the heart of a mother,” she says.
The book, which will be dedicated to Jacob, has been approved by Merlin Publishers and Ms Cachia has called in the help of a co-writer to help her complete it.
The plan is to donate all proceeds to a charity still to be decided on. Ms Cachia is looking into finding a company to help finance the book so that a larger percentage of the proceeds will go to charity.
“I really want to get our story out there because I know it will inspire many.
“Even I have my wishes and I know first hand that wishes do come true,” she says.
Ms Cachia can be reached on familycachia@gmail.com.