A kiss that her foster son planted on her cheek the last time she saw him will always remain a fond but tragic memory for Valletta resident Grace Pace.

In an interview with The Times, the distraught mother has recounted how the kiss, which 16-year-old Maxim Vorboyev gave her on February 25 before she left for work, will remain ingrained in her mind until she dies.

Maxim, who had been fostered by Mrs Pace and her husband, Albert, disappeared that evening. A frantic search around the island was futile and the teenager’s body was recovered from the sea last Sunday.

The Russian orphan had been reunited with his two siblings in Malta after spending years apart living in different orphanages. His sister Alessia and brother Artem were fostered by Mrs Pace’s sister, Carmen Spiteri, and lived in the same block of flats in St Ursula Street.

Mrs Pace said for her and her husband Maxim was a son, and not solely a boy they hosted. She describes him as a happy boy with a good heart who used to help everyone.

See the full story on The Times.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090312/local/he-was-a-son-not-a-boy-we-hosted-foster-mother

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