Seven-year-old Javier smiles as he plays with the new colourful hammock his parents set up for him in the living room of their Mosta home – where they are building on specialised therapy he had in the UK. “We’ve seen a big difference since we returned from the UK… The therapy really helped. Now he’s always smiling. We never saw this before,” his mother, Dorelle, says.
Together with her husband Dennis, they recreated the hammock used at the private clinic in York where Javier – who was born without a large portion of his brain – learnt to develop his senses.
After just three weeks of therapy his tantrums subsided, his concentration span increased and he ate his first burger
The hammock is made of multiple layers of coloured polyester that help Javier develop his sense of touch, as the fabric wraps around him, and sense of space as he is suspended above ground.
After just three weeks of therapy, his parents say, Javier calmed down, his tantrums subsided, his concentration span increased and – he ate his first burger.
“It was incredible. We only ever saw him eat soft food… When the therapist told us to take him out for a burger we were sceptical… We went to Burger King.
“We cut it up into cubes and he ate it, as though it was the most natural thing.
“We looked at him and cried,” his father says as he goes on to add: “We really want to say thank you to all those who made it possible for us to go to the UK for our son’s therapy.”
Javier is the only person in Malta – and one of three in Europe – diagnosed with rhombencephalosynapsis, a rare brain malformation.
Last month, The Sunday Times of Malta told Javier’s story and his parents said they hoped a new therapy offered at Praxis Therapy Centre, a private clinic in York, would help.
But the couple did not have the €14,000 to cover the three weeks of intensive therapy, accommodation and flights.
After the story was published the couple were inundated with support by people wishing to help Javier live a better life. The family set off to York on April 10 and returned last Thursday.
There therapy focused on the senses with emphasis on the less-known sixth and seventh senses. “Yes we have seven senses… The other two are vestibular and proprioception senses,” his mother says as she pulls out a file containing the notes she took while in the UK.
The vestibular sense explains the perception of the body in relation to gravity, movement and balance while proprioception is the sense of being aware of your own body.
Javier’s therapy focused mainly on these two senses but he also received listening and oral therapy, which led to him being able to eat the burger. The couple were taught how to continue building on the therapy at home and, in order to continue seeing progress, they need to return to the York clinic for at least another two intensive sessions.
“Our dream is to see this type of therapy offered in Malta so many children can benefit, like Javier did,” they say.
Anyone who wishes to contact the Micallef family can do so by sending an e-mail on dendorjav@hotmail.com or calling 9989 0783.