A horrible accident took away Jesmond Casha’S mobility and dignity, leaving him bedbound for 12 years. Sarah Carabott met the resilient man at his workplace after he managed to get back on his feet – literally and metaphorically.
Nearly four months since his recruitment, Jesmond Casha has been “doing quite well”. It is hard to imagine that this 44-year-old father of three was just a few months ago stuck in bed.
“When you lose 12 years of your life, you want to work all the time. Getting back to work is part of the process of recovery, and it is slowly helping me regain my dignity,” he told this newspaper, sitting just outside his office at Express Trailers in Luqa.
Mr Casha, a former manager at the Freeport, was first injured in 1995, when he slipped and fell. An iron rod penetrated his back, breaking six vertebrae.
He recovered after four operations, but a decade later, he was again seriously injured in a traffic accident.
“I broke the same six vertebrae, and spent 12 years staring at the ceiling,” he said.
Mr Casha was left paraplegic. He spent his days on a bed in a room on the second floor and would only be taken out of the house through the balcony door when he had a hospital appointment.
Mr Casha was “imprisoned for 12 years”, and at times it felt as if everything around him was collapsing.
“It felt like I was treading water all the time, and then something would happen that pushes me underwater,” he explained.
These instances included contracting an infection during an operation, developing organ complications and becoming addicted to pain relief medicine.
At times he felt overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness, but he always had his wife Mary Doris by his side.
He believes it was her unconditional care and sheer mental determination that led her to a hospital where Mr Casha’s life was turned around.
Mr Casha had already undergone an operation in Leeds following the traffic accident, but some 10 years later, Ms Casha travelled all the way from Galloway in Scotland to Kent, looking for a specialist that could operate on her husband.
Mr Casha finally underwent two interventions in Kent – one in March and another one in April of last year.
“As soon as the second one was completed, I could move my toes,” he said, pausing and beaming, as if reliving that moment.
“It was an indescribable feeling… the numbness had decreased and I started feeling pain in my knees – which was a good sign.”
I broke the same six vertebrae, and spent 12 years staring at the ceiling
Mr Casha’s ultimate aim had been to get off the bed and onto a wheelchair, which would allow him to move around.
But by August he was walking on his knees and elbows with the help of “three angels”. These three therapists visited him twice a day, every day.
“It was challenging, and I was frustrated. Trying to get back on my feet was hard and it felt like all was in vain, but the therapists were very patient with me.”
On November 22, Mr Casha stood on his feet without any aid.
“The first time I got out of the house was on Boxing Day, and I didn’t want to return home,” he said, grinning.
Mr Casha’s operations had been self-funded, supported mainly by his parents.
He was now keen on finding a job to start paying off his debt and “start living after years of existing”.
So he started looking for work to “regain his dignity” and was soon hired by Express Trailers.
As international road transportation dispatcher for Europe (except Italy and England), Mr Casha is responsible for export and import from and to Malta – from medicines and potato products to pencils and clothes.
He confirms bookings and plans routes, sets up appointments and takes care of security issues, tracks and guides drivers and is the main means of communication.
The logistics can change within the hour and he has to remotely maximise space in the trailers, resources and time.
“When it comes to closing off the week, it is quite satisfying to know nearly everyone has something at home that was carried by Express Trailers,” he said.
Mr Casha’s 12 years in bed have led to some health complications, but with the “buddy system” employed at Express Trailers, he always has someone looking out for him in case he suddenly feels unwell.
This is part of the company’s efforts at being sensitive to the wellbeing of its employees, which includes training 24 of them in first aid and employing a registered counsellor.
Employed for his capabilities and skills
Mr Casha is nowadays registered as a person with a disability, however, he was not employed to fulfil this criterion.
He was employed for his capabilities and skills.
According to Maltese law, at least two per cent of the workforce in companies that have 20 or more employees must be registered with the Employment Training Corporation as people with a disability.
Kathleen Vella, manager for training, recruitment and counselling, said Mr Casha was not employed as part of the quota, but actually registered later.
While she was in favour of urging companies to consider employing people with special needs, she felt this was a discriminatory system, as there were people who were not physically disabled but were actually less productive.
“I do not see Jesmond as a person with special needs.
“I just see him as an added asset who is rendering a bigger return on investment because of his capabilities.
“The company has employed a beautiful mind.
“In my books, he does not have any special needs, and it irks me that he is categorised by the system,” Ms Vella said.
Asked whether he found it difficult to register as a person with a disability, as some people do, Mr Casha said: “I might take a few minutes more to get from one place to another, as I walk slower, but at the end of the day, I fulfil my duty.”