‘I have always believed there was someone out there for everyone’

“We are all worthy of love.” For Melissa Pace this belief has guided the disability advocate, who is now preparing for her wedding and hopes to start a family, determined to continue breaking stigma and raising awareness.

Pace has always believed there is a person out there for everyone; and that there are people who do not see persons with disabilities as less than others or held back from entering into a relationship.

It has been an eventful year – not just with wedding preparations. In October, Pace, 30, won the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Disability Sector of the Premju Soċjetà Ġusta, in recognition of her efforts to promote the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.

Born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a brittle bone disease, she uses a wheelchair to maintain her independence and has made it her mission to advocate for inclusion and equal opportunities.

“I felt very honoured and grateful to be nominated; even more so, to win the award,” she said.

“When I was younger I always saw myself as ‘normal’, even though I had a disability, because, at the end of the day, it is my normal”.

But as she started to grow up, and especially in her teenage years, she found it hard to deal with her disability.

While her friends were clubbing, she couldn’t join them because most nightclubs had stairs.

“All of this started to make me feel I was different – at a time when all you want is to fit in and not feel different.”

With time, however, she built more confidence in herself and started “taking pride in being different”.

I believe when you have a dream, you should chase it and work hard for it, and one day, it will come true

Throughout her life, Pace never let anything hold her back from achieving her dreams: “If I am unable to do certain things in a particular way, I either try to find another way to do them, or I find something very similar that still fulfils that particular desire,” she explained.

“I believe when you have a dream, you should chase it and work hard for it, and one day, it will come true. Sometimes, it takes time; you might fail a couple of times in the process; or maybe it does not happen exactly as you envisaged…

“Of course, certain things are beyond our control, but the most important thing is to take care of what we have control over and, if possible, try to find a way around the things we do not control.”

‘Marriage was possible’

A similar pattern shaped her views on marriage throughout her life. “Like most girls, yes, I have always envisaged getting married. In fact, when I made my First Holy Communion and I was wearing the white dress for the ceremony, I remember telling everyone that I got married that day,” she says.

“When I was a child, I saw myself as normal, so I did not have any doubts in the possibility of getting married in the future. In my teenage years, as I realised people saw me and were treating me differently, doubt started creeping in.”

Later on, when she reached adulthood, she became more confident in herself.

“Of course, I was still aware there would be people who would not accept having a partner with disability because, unfortunately, there is still the mentality that we are different.

“Sometimes, they are seen as less than others, which is very sad and something I strive to de-stigmatise through my social media posts,” Pace continued.

On the other hand, she knows there are people who actually see the person for who they really are and not their disability.

“It might be the romantic in me talking, but that is what I always believed in, and I was right! I did meet the love of my life, and we are beyond excited to be getting married next year!”

Paul Attard Montalto making Melissa Pace’s dream marriage proposal come true in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Pace met her future husband, Paul Attard Montalto, 31, through a dating app – the way most people meet nowadays, she pointed out.

“We started chatting on the app until we decided to meet in person… and the rest is history.”

She had always dreamed of a proposal in Paris, in front of the Eiffel Tower: “I know it is a cliché, but at the same time, very romantic to me – and that is exactly what I got!”

On August 15, 2024, her now fiancé popped the question in Paris – in front of the Eiffel Tower – and made her dream come true.

Pace immediately began planning the wedding because she wanted to have most things sorted as soon as possible to mitigate the stress. She is now “a bit more relaxed” – until, of course, the last few weeks before the August wedding.

“It will be very special to us to be celebrating our love and lifelong commitment to each other, with our family and friends,” she said.

“They say the future is a closed box, as no one knows what is awaiting, but I am sure it will be filled with love and happiness.”

Pace and her fiancé aspire to build a family but acknowledges it is not something they have control over.

“So, we will go with the flow, and whatever happens, will make the most of it and of our lives together.”

Asked what sort of hurdles she felt she may have to surmount in her relationship and married life, Pace said these were unavoidable for anyone.

“I believe the most important thing is to always face hardships together as a couple. That would make it easier to go through and overcome them.”

Beyond the milestone wedding, Pace has many exciting projects lined up for herself in 2026. Top of the list for the coming year is to be more active on social media.

“Posting on social media is very important to me because I believe that, as I continue sharing my life publicly, I continue breaking the stigmas that, unfortunately, still exist for people with disabilities, and I continue helping to formalise living with a disability,” she said.