The rhythmic beeping sound of the life-saving machine proved strangely soothing to the mother who stood by the bedside of her 19-year-old son in the hospital's intensive care. It signalled a glimmer of hope that evaporated when the doctor broke the news: her son was never coming home.
In another hospital bed, two floors up, a 21-year-old woman juggled the four-hour, thrice-weekly dialysis sessions with her University lectures. Living life to the max was out of reach until she found a kidney donor; the 19-year-old was her perfect match.
Faced with this moral dilemma, what should the mother do? No parent should have to bury a child and an engulfing emptiness descend on her. Her son was a registered donor but, as next of kin, she had the final say: To give or not to give? It is a very hard question to answer at such an emotionally raw moment. Surely, there will be other questions one will ask oneself before deciding.
They are all valid questions for somebody newly exposed to the world of organ donations but medical experts urge people not to let "myths" confuse or dishearten them.
Myths and misconceptions are blamed for the shortage of organ donors by American doctors, highlighting the need for greater education and awareness to understand what it is really all about.
In Malta, such preconceived ideas abound and could be behind the outcome of a recent Eurobarometer survey where 15 per cent of Maltese were registered donors but the rest stopped short of signing up. Ironically, 75 per cent actually agreed they would consent to donate their organs after their death if asked.
At the moment, there are 95 people waiting for an organ transplant and, with about 10 deaths a year of persons fit enough for organ donation, people waiting for a transplant are living on prayers.
What made the headlines recently is public incredulity that even though a person is a registered donor this is not binding; the next of kin can overturn the dead person's wish.
Donors are infuriated that the way things stand, their parent, spouse or child can decide to go against their wish to give somebody else a second chance at life. Some have even resorted to specifying their wishes in a will but, according to Renal Unit coordinator Tony Bugeja, this makes no difference.
There is no law governing organ transplantation in Malta and until this materialises everything hangs on a mere policy. Legislation is crucial and the Transplant Support Group is lobbying to see a law enacted, urging a nationwide consultation on the best way forward. Just last December, the European Commission unveiled plans to push member states to work together on organ donation and transplants to reduce the bureaucracy and suffering of those waiting for an operation.
According to the Commission, 12 persons a day are dying in Europe as they wait for organ transplants. The idea was that, under a six-year action plan, spanning from 2009 to 2015, an EU-wide system would be launched to trace the origins of organs and improve availability of transplant organs across frontiers.
So far, this has yet to translate into something tangible but, in the meantime, the authorities have an obligation to ensure the proper structures are in place to safeguard everyone's interests. So far, Malta has been lucky that the urge to help and not overturn the dead person's wish has, more often than not, overridden the fears. But why leave organ donation to fate?