The recipient of Drew Abela’s heart, the 20-year-old who passed away in 2016, talks to Pink about living half her life with a sick heart, and having a second chance to care for a special one when the “superhero” donated his organs on his death.
The story in the February issue of Malta’s magazine for women, out with The Sunday Times of Malta tomorrow, is not only deeply moving, but also raises awareness of the need for more people to register for organ donation – a nationwide campaign the young man’s brave and exemplary family has now launched. With only three per cent of the population in Malta being registered donors, they are focusing their energy on this cause.
“When our family shrank after the loss of Drew, it actually expanded as we now have a kind of extended family,” Drew’s mother tells Pink, referring to the seven recipients of Drew’s organs and the seven saved lives.
Meanwhile, the recipient of his heart, Christine Grixti, opens up to Pink about learning she needed a transplant; the moment she received the anticipated call that a heart was available and the anxiety that took over; the mixed feelings of discovering who her donor was; and the eventual emotional encounter with his family.
The touching story is fitting for the Valentine’s Day issue, taking the idea of giving your heart to someone to another level, with the recipient saying how beautiful she feels with Drew’s heart beating inside her, how she is caring for it, and her strong encouragement, together with his parents, not to waste organs, but to be a hero like their son and let them live in someone else’s body.
The idea of coping and moving ahead is also found in the story about life after divorce for a family whose world could have fallen apart when the parents went their separate ways.
A change management consultant and mum of three, Sharon Cusens, talks about how she wrote a story to help her children deal with the trauma that was about to befall them, designing an “emotional navigation system” to guide her children towards a new life with a positive attitude. The family’s healing journey began – and later evolved into a three-book project co-created with her children.
On the subject of children, teen love takes centre stage, with clinical psychologist Edward Curmi saying that although the prospect of their kids dating could make most parents cringe, it is actually a very natural process that has to take its course.
And for a touch more romance – with a twist – the joys of a ‘ticket for one’ and dressing up for a date night alone at the theatre bring out the importance of independence, me time and escapades for a married mum, who promotes the freedom of solo travel and how liberating it can be to dine in her own company at times.
Pink is a monthly magazine, published by Allied Newspapers Ltd.