With his blond locks and infectious smile, Henry Mamo is a picture of good health. 

But behind the glistening eyes, all is not well with young Henry. 

"They cut my tummy, and then the doctors put a tube in my nose," he says when asked about his health. 

Aged 4, he already bears the scars of nine operations, with more lined up for the weeks to come. Henry needs a kidney transplant and is due to spend the next six months in the UK undergoing treatment.

The sense of dread that accompanies each operation is unbearable. "You kiss him goodbye without knowing if you'll get to see him again," his mother Lorinda says, her voice cracking at the recollection. 

To add to the young family's troubles, Lorinda was diagnosed with cancer some years back - leaving her unable to accompany her son to the UK when he needed emergency treatment. 

"Just as I was undergoing chemotherapy, he was having five operations. I can't describe how I felt at that point. My husband had it especially bad. To not know what's going to happen to both your wife and son..."

Henry and his parents are among the hundreds of families who have been helped by the Puttinu Cares Foundation. Set up in 2002, the foundation currently owns 12 apartments close to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton which it makes available to families like the Mamos when they travel to the UK for medical treatment. 

The foundation is now hoping to expand its services by building between 30 and 40 studio apartments in central London, close to Great Ormond, National and Moorefields hospitals. But getting this done hinges on the generosity of the Maltese public.

Xarabank will tonight be raising funds in aid of the Puttinu Cares Foundation, to ensure it can continue to help children like Henry as well as adults forced to visit the UK for medical reasons. 

Rene Zerafa and his young nephew Ben.

"The number of people going to the UK for medical treatment has tripled," explains Foundation co-founder Rene Zerafa. "Our flats are full and we're being forced to rent others to ensure we don't turn anyone away." 

Mr Zerafa's own grandson Ben, who needed an urgent heart operation when he was just six months old, is among those who have been helped by the Foundation.

Donations can be made by phone or SMS (see numbers below). Those who pledge €300 or more will have their name engraved on the wall of the Puttinu apartments in London. 

Xarabank will air on TVM tonight at 8.45pm.

To donate €15 - call 51702006
To donate €25 - call 51802008
To donate €300 or more - call 79809778
To donate €6.99 - send an SMS to 50618939