There were few dry eyes at San Ġwann parish church yesterday as five-year-old Shezyan Zammit, looking immaculate in white, received her First Holy Communion to loud applause.
The Church granted the little girl special permission to have her Holy Communion earlier than usual ahead of chemotherapy to remove a brain tumour next month.
The girl also saw another wish come true: her parents marrying in church. Vince Carl, 39, and Marisa, 28, who were married civilly, had planned to get married in church last July but things went haywire following their daughter’s illness.
As they recited their vows, Shezyan proudly held her parents’ rings as her one-year-old brother, Ezekiel, looked on.
Among the well wishers in the packed church were Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, his wife Michelle and their twin daughters, Soleil and Etoile, who hugged the little girl.
At the end of the ceremony, Shezyan’s classmates gathered around their friend, tenderly hugging and kissing her.
“We love Shezyan,” classmate Cheyenne Buhagiar, six, told Times of Malta.
“I went to see her at home when she was sick. Every single night, I pray to the Holy Mother and to Jesus to make her better.”
The event was the culmination of weeks of tireless work by NGO Daqqa t’Id and more than 40 sponsors who pooled in the equivalent of €24,000 to ensure that Shezyan’s special day would be a truly unforgettable one.
The girl’s love of princesses was reflected throughout the entire day. When Shezyan stepped out of the limousine to walk down the red carpet into the church, she was greeted by a host of animators dressed as her favourite Disney princesses.
A good friend of Shezyan’s, six-year-old Isaac Micallef, dressed up as Prince Charming for the occasion and escorted his princess down the aisle.
“Isaac has been Shezyan’s rock throughout,” Ms Zammit explained. “Whenever she was sick and down, he would be the one to cheer her up.”
Little Shezyan’s eyes widened in awe as she beheld the sleek, horse-drawn carriage awaiting her outside the church.
Holding on tightly to “her prince” and accompanied by her beaming parents, the small party were driven to the reception hall.
It was a magical day, one which we’ll always recall fondly. I don’t know how to begin to express our gratitude
The hall had also been given a magical makeover, with hundreds of balloons forming colourful arches, plenty of teddy bears and a large cake topped with a horse-drawn carriage and a doll inside.
Shezyan’s parents looked on tenderly as their daughter capered around the room, playing with her friends and having her face painted in colourful designs.
“It was a magical day, one which we’ll always recall fondly. I really don’t know how to begin to express our gratitude to all who made this day such an incredibly special one,” Ms Zammit told Times of Malta.
But perhaps it was Shezyan herself who put it best.
“Thank you,” she said simply, holding the microphone to her lips as she addressed the congregation, “and pray for me.”