Watch: ‘It’s As If Life Just Stops’ – Former Volleyball Player Who Lost A Leg To Bone Cancer Recounts Her Puttinu Cares Journey
“You can never know when it’s going to hit you. You might just be healthy and then suddenly a bomb drops and it hits you.” Less an ominous warning and more just proof of the importance of charity in our everyday lives, 26-year-old Kayleigh’s story is one of resilience, love and found family.
“I was 13, and it all started when my leg started hurting,” Kayleigh told Lovin Malta. “I used to play volleyball, so they used to think it’s cause of that.”
What the young girl had, however, was Ewing sarcoma, a type of cancer that begins as a growth of cells in the bones and the soft tissue around the bones.
“The operation consisted in them removing a part of my leg,” the young woman recounted. “When they first gave me the news, it was as if two bombs had hit. It’s as if life just stops. What else will you do with your life? You start seeing life in a completely different way.”
Kayleigh’s journey to recovery, while painful and full of nasty surprises, has culminated in her not only surviving her cancer diagnosis, but also becoming the proud mother of a one-year-old boy.
“Chemo and therapy are important, but not giving up is just so important, as much as therapy,” Kayleigh told Lovin Malta. “And keep your friends and family close by because you’ll need the support.”
When asked to only use three words to describe Puttinu Cares, Malta’s beloved children’s cancer support group who helped her throughout the whole journey, Kayleigh’s answers couldn’t be more emphatic: “Family. Support system. Love.”
Kayleigh’s is just one of many success stories that Puttinu Cares has had over the years… and stories like hers are possible thanks to events such as the massive annual fundraising marathons. This year’s edition will run on Good Friday, 29th March.
For individuals and smaller organisations who are also keen to help, please visit https://puttinucares.org/your-donation, call the Puttinu Cares donation lines, send a donation by text or bank transfer to:
Donation Lines:
5160 2007 – Eur10
5170 2006 – Eur15
5180 2008 – Eur25
5190 2062 – Eur50
SMS Donations:
5061 6499 – Eur1.16
5061 7380 – Eur2.33
5061 8939 – Eur6.99
5061 9225 – Eur11.65
HSBC Bank Transfer
Account number: 089077341001
IBAN: MT55MMEB44897000000089077341001
Swift Code: MMEBMTMT
Cheques can be made payable to Puttinu Cares
Address: Rainbow Ward, Level -1, Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre, Msida, MSD 1234
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