Little Shezyan Zammit slips into a velvet dress that is reminiscent of her favourite princess, Cinderella, and prances around her parents’ apartment, chattering excitedly.
She can hardly contain her anticipation for Sunday when she will receive her First Holy Communion, aged five.
The Curia granted her special permission to fulfil her dream before she starts receiving chemotherapy in October to remove a brain tumour.
Her parents, Vince Carl and Marisa Zammit, recount how, a few months ago, she started to run a high fever, which left her listless and lethargic.
“She would complain of severe headaches. At times, she would scream in pain,” Ms Zammit, 28, says.
“She ended up spending more days sick at home than at school.”
In April, the couple had one of the worst experiences a parent could go through: their daughter had developed a tumour at the back of her head.
“Doctors told us to enjoy her as much as possible and give her all she desired. What did they mean?” Ms Zammit remembers thinking at the time.
“If the chemotherapy doesn’t work, they would need to operate,” Mr Zammit, 39, explains.
“We were told there was a high risk of her either suffering brain damage or... passing away.”
Mr Zammit suffers from neurofibromatosis, a disorder in which the nerve tissue grows tumours that could be benign but may cause serious damage by compressing nerves and other tissues.
“It was bad enough being told that Shezyan and our one-year-old son, Ezekiel, might inherit the condition, but knowing that Shezyan has a brain tumour...” His voice trails off.
Life has dealt the family a couple of rough blows. Living in a rented San Ġwann apartment, they battled poverty, struggling to put food on the table while paying for Shezyan’s numerous, pricey medications.
Mr Zammit works as a porter and his wife had to give up her job to care for their little girl. Yet a ray of hope came in the form of Daqqa t’Id foundation, an NGO that helps the sick, run by Charles Saliba.
Mr Saliba was shocked to find out that the girl he had heard was ill was actually Shezyan, whom he had known before.
He set about tirelessly working to bring together her two greatest loves: princesses and the Holy Mary, of whom she is a big devotee.
It was Shezyan’s greatest wish to receive Holy Communion before her health deteriorated further, a wish that received the full backing of paediatrician Victor Calvagna.
Through the intervention of the parish priest and numerous sponsors, Mr Saliba managed to organise a Holy Communion Mass on Sunday, which will be followed by a lavish reception featuring horse-drawn carriages and a red carpet.
About 300 people, including Shezyan’s schoolmates, are invited.
I ask the Virgin Mary to heal me
Later, on September 19, President George Abela will be receiving Daqqa t’Id and the Zammit family.
“I can’t reveal much more except that Sunday will be an absolutely special day for a very special little girl.
“It will be packed with surprises. Shezyan is loved by everyone in San Ġwann,” Mr Saliba said.
Shezyan’s best qualities are her cheerfulness and the way she is quick to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.
“When she was in Kindergarten 2, there was a disabled boy in her class,” her mother says.
“Shezyan used to patiently feed him every day. She always stuck up for him.”
At that, Shezyan runs into her bedroom and emerges with a picture of the Virgin Mary, clutched close to her heart.
What does she tell the Virgin Mary?
“That I love her very, very much,” the little girl replies. “I ask the Virgin Mary to heal me.”
Members of the public, especially San Ġwann residents, are invited to attend Shezyan’s special day on Sunday at 3.30pm at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church, San Ġwann.