LEAH: Zahna Xuereb & Maria Mifsud. Kite Group, 2015. PP
Leah was a very young girl, a six-year-old child who died of a very severe and incurable cancer at the beginning of this year. In this nearly 200-page book her mother, Zhana, a Bulgarian by birth, gives a thorough account of the six years of tribulations, pain, anxieties and feeling of helplessness that Leah and all her family lived through.
One may ask: What is so special about this case? There are many children of Leah’s age, or older, and even younger, who are victims of cancer; and it seems that their number is increasing year by year. But somehow, this particular girl, during her very short life on earth, managed to win the heart of all the Maltese nation; more intensely that of the people of Gozo, where she lived.
The book is very well-written, in very good English, and in a language that can easily be understood by everyone. The story is divided into very short chapters and this almost encourages the reader to go through the book at one go.
Notwithstanding the tragic ordeal that Leah and her family went through, the author of the book, Leah’s mother, tackles the story in a very positive way. The pathos, the at times excruciating pain (physical and psychological) and the feeling of helplessness when nobody on earth could do anything else to save Leah, can be felt in every line of the story. But what comes out loud and clear is a story of love and kindness.
Leah’s short life was transformed into a work of art, to inspire and serve as a guiding light for all of us
What impresses most is the great and unconditional solidarity with Leah and her family, shown by all quarters of Maltese society. It seemed as if Leah’s family had become all the Maltese population. Apart from the Community Chest Fund, Puttinu Cares, the Maltese and foreign specialist doctors and nurses that are usually involved financially or otherwise in such cases, all the people of Malta were very eager to offer their help, either with prayers, campaigns and all means possible.
A very strong faith in God reigns over the whole account. It was this faith, along with love, gratitude and patience, that kept everybody going. It is the belief that God is always with us, even in the worst and ugliest of moments. With faith, Leah’s life was transformed into a beautiful story of love and solidarity. Leah’s short life was transformed into a work of art, to inspire and serve as a guiding light for all of us.
Leah’s story teaches us that we must love and help each other. If we do not, we will all perish together. We must use our time profitably, especially by helping each other to overcome life’ problems; never on envy and on trivial matters.
Zahna tells us that children are God’s gift to mankind and that they are to be loved, to be enjoyed, to be protected, to be taken care of, to be appreciated and to be given all the time and space they need to grow up into mature adults.
The book is available from at €10. Proceeds will go to Puttinu Cares.
www.kitegroup.com.mt