‘It’s The Least We Can Do’: Sport Minister Promises Jake Vella’s Father Commemoration At National Pool
Minister for Education, Sport and Youth Clifton Grima has promised Jake Vella’s father a commemoration of the young athlete at the Tal-Qroqq national pool, in memory of his inspirational life.
This comes as the Maltese islands are reeling from Jake’s sudden passing, who recently died at 15 years old after living with one of the rarest medical conditions on the planet, ROHHAD-NET.
The exchange happened under a Facebook post which was calling for Jake’s memory to be commemorated through a statue, with his father, Josie Vella, chiming in and expressing their wish to have him remembered at the Tal-Qroqq swimming pool, where Jake spent a lot of his time.
“Thank you Minister Clifton Grima for how much you supported Jake, a wish that my wife and I have is for a photo of his to be placed at the national pool of Tal-Qroqq, a place he used to regard as his second home,” Josie wrote.
The Minister replied back by saying that “Jake was, is and will always be an inspiration to many”.
“The least we can do is to commemorate all he used to represent with a memorial at Tal-Qroqq,” he assured.
Jake spent the last one year and nine months of his life at Mater Dei Hospital, due to the effects of his condition considerably worsening.
He became an inspiration to many and also managed to capture the hearts of the nation and beyond through his sheer resilience, participating in a number of athletic activities and marathons throughout his life, no doubt inspired by his triathlete father.
Jake is set to be cremated following a final farewell on Saturday morning, with the “celebration” planned for Birżebbuġa’s Parish church of St. Peter’s Chains.
ROHHAD-NET only has some 75 known cases worldwide and usually has a tragically short lifespan. The longest-living survivor of ROHHAD was 22 years old before she died.
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