An 18-year-old who has just lost his father to leukaemia is following in his dad’s footsteps at the dockyard, literally and metaphorically.
Luke Pisani wears his father’s shoes at the Palumbo Malta Shipyard, where he has just been taken on as an employee and is “looked after like a family member”.
The past months have been the most challenging for Mr Pisani but in a way they were also the best time he spent with his father Jason, he says.
Jason first started feeling unwell last January, when he also passed out on one occasion while at work. The leukaemia diagnosis came a few weeks later and he was immediately admitted to hospital where he started receiving treatment.
Upon hearing the news, his colleagues decided to transfer some of their own leave days to Mr Pisani, in a bid to reduce his financial burden.
But CEO Antonio Palumbo instead decided to keep Mr Pisani on the company’s books, paying him a full salary, Vittorio Carratù, infrastructure manager at Palumbo Malta Shipyard, told this newspaper.
Mr Pisani is the youngest employee at the Palumbo shipyard
When in August Mr Pisani had to be flown to the UK for a bone marrow transplant, his son followed him there.
Despite the sad circumstances, those last weeks were in a way the best memory he has of his father, Luke admits after giving it much thought.
The two grew much closer. And despite growing weaker by the day, his father’s courage never flickered. His show of resilience is something that Luke will carry with him through his life, thinking of his dad whenever he feels like giving up.
“He was my best friend,” Mr Pisani says, caressing his father’s bright yellow safety helmet. His father started out at the shipyard at the same age.
“I’m wearing his shoes and following in his footsteps,” he says, adding that he will carry his father’s advice with him wherever he goes.
The young man heard his father speak about the dockyard for as long as he can remember, and while receiving treatment in the UK, Mr Pisani told his son that once back in Malta, he should join him there.
When Mr Pisani passed away on December 4, Mr Palumbo wanted to continue helping his valued employee’s family. So the company took Luke under its wing.
The weeks following his father’s death are still a blurred memory for the young man, but he is sure of one thing: the job offer definitely gave him peace of mind.
He had actually given up his previous job because he found no empathy when he had to take some time off to visit his father in hospital last year, so he doubly appreciates his new job.
Mr Pisani is the youngest employee at the shipyard and is trying his hand at different sections. However, he does not think he will ever be as good as his father when it comes to painting.
His father’s colleagues have taken him in as one of their own and they often tell him that Mr Pisani was known for his unique skill at mastering any logo, no matter the size, without the need of any advanced technology.
Mr Pisani will also be remembered for his love of “anything artistic” – from tattoos to real-life portraits.