We began our farewell celebration with the song What a Wonderful World, and ended singing a Maltese favourite: Xemx. We all agreed that, without a doubt: La vita è bella! (Life is beautiful!)
Over the last few years, Rita Vella Borg lived alone, but before that, she shared her life with her beloved husband Kevin. Both she and Kevin struggled with very severe physical limitations, but notwithstanding all this, they were a living example of how beautiful life can be.
Rita was born with the condition known as muscular dystrophy. It was a time when Maltese society was still unable to cater for the needs of most people who have severe mobility impairments. Due to the limitations of our society, and certainly not to a lack of ability on her part, Rita, like so many other disabled Maltese youngsters, was prevented from completing her formal education. However, through her undoubted intellectual, psychological and moral qualities, Rita managed to carve out a fulfilling, productive life, and through her actions and example, she was instrumental in improving the quality of life of many other young, disabled Maltese.
The Muscular Dystrophy Group, then under the leadership of a parent of a disabled youngster, was her springboard to greater things. Gradually, she and Kevin took over the running of the group. They continued to maintain the services it offered, such as sheltered employment and its pioneering attempts to introduce personal assistant schemes as an alternative to institutionalisation. Together they also founded the Muscular Dystrophy Youth Group and also represented Malta in numerous conferences and other similar activities both in Malta and abroad.
Rita was also actively involved in the work of the then Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Diżabilità (KNPD), today renamed Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD). Initially, Rita chaired KNPD’s SAPPORT committee, being responsible for the personal assistance scheme. Later she formed part of the commission’s secretariat until she became KNPD’s vice-chairperson. More recently, she was a very active member of the EVVIVA Group, a federation of organisations led by disabled persons themselves.
Over and above her public commitment to disability issues, Rita was also a valued peer counsellor who helped many disabled and non-disabled people cope with difficult situations.
Her unique qualities were recognised locally, nationally and internationally. Mosta local council awarded her and Kevin the Ġieħ il-Mosta. On a national level, she and Kevin were awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika. At a European level, Rita was identified as one of the 12 most influential women who inspired society.
Rita loved life and knew well how to live it! She was a firm believer in independence and worked hard to ensure the mainstreaming of the concept of independent living for disabled people. Together with Kevin, she set the example by making sure they lived as a married couple, in their own home, furnished to their tastes and benefitting from the support they needed to live life as they wished to.
Rita knew that for disabled people, independence did not mean being able to do everything for oneself. For persons living with severe impairment, independent living is defined as the right to control the decisions of one’s own life; it is also the quality of life one can aspire to and achieve when the required support is available. Over and above ensuring a high degree of independence for herself and Kevin, Rita struggled to ensure that the necessary degree of support would become available for all disabled persons who needed it.
As her busy Facebook page attested, she was a fun-loving person who loved to socialise with her numerous friends. Just before her untimely demise, she was planning to attend the traditional village marċ (procession) in honour of the patron saint of her hometown, Żejtun.
Like most disabled people, Rita’s life didn’t consist solely of obstacles. She, her family and Kevin’s family, also benefited from the love and support of many people: her carers (local and foreign), organisations like the Muscular Dystrophy Group, KNPD and CRPD, the Housing Authority, Aġenzija SAPPORT, many professionals, artists and politicians. Thankfully the list of people supporting her was very impressive.
It’s no overstatement to say that her quiet words of support and gentle smile gave many people hope when they felt there was none. She may have received a great deal of support during her lifetime, but there is no doubt that greater still was the contribution she made to our society and to us as individuals. Rita gave back more than she received.
The words of The Beatles’ song The End were never truer than when applied to Rita: “And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make”.
‘Ciao Rita!’, until we will meet again.
Fred Bezzina and Joseph M Camilleri