How to help Tonio win back part of his freedom

Twenty-five years ago to the date, Tonio Mercieca, 14, was swimming with his friends at Balluta bay without a care in the world - one last dive changed his life forever.

Tonio chose to go first, but the tide must have started to ebb because he hit his head against the bottom of the sea bed, changing the course of his future in an instant.

Today at 39, Tonio is paralysed from his chest down and though he has a considerably fulfilling life, complete with a job and social life, he risks becoming a prisoner in his bed unless he manages to raise enough money for a specialised wheelchair.

Tonio's problems started last October when a huge pressure sore developed on the right side of his buttocks. After spending six weeks in bed the sore healed, but re-opened once he was back in his wheelchair.

Blessed with a fighting spirit which has got him where he is today, Tonio attempted to get back to work, but staying in the wheelchair only made his condition worse.

"I was referred to a plastic surgeon who explained that that particular area of my skin had thinned out and because of the sores of previous years, it had lost its ability to heal," Tonio said as he shifted in his wheelchair in an attempt to find a comfortable position.

The plastic surgeon recommended that Tonio has a muscle transplant to cushion the area of the sore between the bone and the skin.

The operation, which was held in January, was a success. Tonio had to spend another six weeks in bed until it healed, however, once he attempted to get back to work the same situation reoccurred and he was back in bed.

"Basically the only way that the sores would heal was by staying in bed. My wheelchair is the ticket to freedom but the one I have now is not allowing me to stay in it for long," he said, his boyish features twisting in a frown.

"I feel really frustrated, because my life is at a standstill - the sores are robbing me of my life," he said.

The only answer to his problems is a specially designed power wheelchair which can tilt back at the touch of the wheelchair to help alleviate the weight to his back.

By surfing through the internet, Tonio discovered that there was an agent in Malta who imported these wheelchairs and that there was one person on the island who had bought one.

"I got in touch with this person to try out his wheelchair and coupled with the advice from medical consultants, I feel this will solve my problems and allow me to go about my life as usual," he said his voice filling with hope.

The only obstacle in his path to a new life is that the wheelchair costs Lm3,500 - an amount which he cannot fork out on his own.

Tonio's colleagues at the diabetes section at St Luke's Hospital have, with the approval of the medical superintendent, already started collecting money and managed to raise Lm309.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Persons with Disability has also approved to give Tonio the maximum of Lm500 through a specific scheme designed to make people's lives easier.

However, despite this generosity, he still has a long way to go before he reaches the amount of Lm3,500. Those who wish to help Tonio continue leading an independent life, without becoming a prisoner in his bed, can send a donation to the Bank of Valletta account: 40011726757.