Sandra Camenzuli warned her 16-year-old son to "stay back" as she fell to her death when a stone balcony gave way while they were hoisting a bulky cupboard at their Żabbar home on Saturday.
"Even at that moment, she had her sons' best interest at heart... The last thing she did was go to Mass and feed us guys," her other son, Clayton, 22, said.
He and his father, Paul, were at work when the accident happened on Saturday evening. "The last thing my father told her before leaving to work that evening was not to try and hoist the cupboard herself... He said we, that is, my father and myself, would do it the following morning... But she didn't listen... She was a mother who does everything for her children, even men's work," her son recalled, adding that his mother fell near a statue of Our Lady.
The accident happened when Mrs Camenzuli, 49, her teenage son, Darren, and his friend where using a rope to lift the L-shaped cupboard from the porch onto the balcony. The balcony, including the balustrades, was made of stone and the front part came apart as they pulled up the heavy piece of furniture. Mrs Camenzuli, who was leaning against the balustrades, fell and died on the spot. Her son and his friend remained standing on the balcony.
"My brother is under shock. He also suffered from (friction) burns on his arms caused by the rope," Mr Camenzuli said.
He explained that the cupboard was meant for a room on the roof where his younger brother liked spending time and wanted a piece of furniture where he could lay out some of his things. Being bulky and corner-shaped, it did not fit through the main door and staircase so it had to be hoisted in through the balcony that led into a living room.
Mr Camenzuli said his mother was a good woman who attended Mass every morning and helped out in the parish. She also donated blood regularly saying it was worth suffering from a minor headache, which she got after giving blood, to help others. Mr Camenzuli said he was frustrated at people's unfounded assumptions that the balcony collapsed because it was old. "The balcony was in mint condition. Built with the hardest rock... only the front railings fell... This was because of the horizontal force caused by the heavy furniture... It was a silly and unlucky accident," he said.
He thanked all their neighbours and friends for their support and help during this difficult time.
The funeral will be held at the Żabbar parish church today at 8.30 a.m.