Since 2012, Galea has been diagnosed with different forms of cancer, forcing him to seek treatment in various hospitals abroad at great expense. 

It all started nine years ago when Paul was first diagnosed with cancer and which he luckily succeeded in overcoming within a few months. 

After that, he would regularly go to the hospital for scheduled follow-ups during which (according to the couple) he would regularly request that he have an MRI scan taken, only to be told each time that it wasn’t necessary. 

Then in 2017, Paul started to feel strange symptoms and was operated upon within a few weeks. After initially being told that there was nothing of concern, Paul started to feel a pain in his jaw and could see a white mass. 

He was told that he had developed a very rare form of cancer called Adenoid cystic carcinoma. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is an aggressive tumour of the salivary gland which can, as happened in Paul’s case, extend to the structures of the skull base. 

Paul was offered treatment in Malta but refused it since he was told that it wasn’t suited to the type of cancer he had been diagnosed with and that it would leave considerable permanent damage.

The couple was left with no option but to seek treatment abroad. They travelled to the UK, where they were offered safer treatment that stood a greater chance of success. 

The tumour had been brought under control, though it could not be removed completely. In 2020, with doctors in the UK telling the Galeas that they could do no more, the tumour again started to grow, forcing the couple to travel to Germany in search of help. 

It appeared that the treatment obtained in Germany had had the desired effect because the tumour seemed to have dried up and placed under control; however during a follow-up visit in January of this year, they were given even more bad news.  

A full-body scan revealed that Paul had developed a large tumour in his liver.

“We were forced to start treatment the day after because he was in a critical state,” they said.

The latest round of treatment Paul is receiving appears to be working, though the couple knows there is a long road ahead. 

Having had to pay for the vast majority of his treatment themselves, they are now heavily in debt and with expenses still increasing, they have turned to the public for help.

“Paul kept working as long as he could and we used to help others without ever expecting that we’d end up in this situation,” they said.  

Anyone wishing to help Paul and Marica with a donation can do so using MobilePay on 99881768, Revolut on 79233995 or using a transfer to MT92VALL22013000000050015722491