An organ donation involving three countries, after an accident in Malta, shows the power of a simple commitment

A Maltese woman whose Italian husband’s life was saved by the lungs of a 19-year-old Dutchman – who was killed in a traffic accident in Malta – says she owes everything to the organ donor.

Elisabeth Loss and her husband Francesco Pelz, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, received a call at 1.20am on July 8, 2018.

They were told they had three hours to drive the 200 kilometres from their home in Rovereto, Italy to the transplant centre in Milan where doctors were waiting. 

“We had mixed feelings of fear and excitement and I didn’t really know what was happening,” says Elisabeth, a mother-of-two whose mother is from Żabbar.

“I got up and started to wake the children, organised them for a stay with their grandparents and prepared myself and my husband for the journey.”

When they arrived at the hospital, doctors ran a series of tests to see if the lungs were compatible.

At 3.30pm, he entered the operating room and, after 12 hours of surgery, he was transferred to intensive care.

Without this magnificent gift, Francesco would not be here with us now

The next day, her husband, 36, woke up and started breathing on his own without oxygen. This simple but monumental gesture proved the transplant had been a success, completely transforming his and his family’s life.

“He suddenly was experiencing so many new sensations, the taste of water, being able to laugh without losing his breath. It was amazing.”

At the same time, in The Netherlands, the family and friends of Tim Scholten were still absorbing the news that the Dutchman had been hit by a drunk driver who had mounted the pavement in St Julian’s.

Enjoying a holiday on the island, Tim had been walking along the promenade with a group of friends after a night out when he was struck. He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries.

His parents arranged for his organs to be donated.

“Italian law does not allow a person receiving organs to know the name of their donor officially,” says Elisabeth.

“But we know he was a 19-year-old who had written that he wished to donate his organs on his identity card.

“If we could only say one thing to the donor’s family, it would be thank you. Without his magnificent gift, Francesco would not be here with us now.”

The scene of the accident in St Julian's in July 2018.

Before receiving his lungs, Francesco couldn’t even manage simple tasks like tieing his shoelaces or getting dressed.

He had to use an oxygen tank round the clock, seven days a week, and was expecting to have a shorter than normal lifespan.

When the drugs stopped working several years ago, doctors said the only option was for him to go on a waiting list for new lungs.

While he still takes medication which can affect his immunity, he now can move on with his life.

“Thanks to the magnificent gift, we can now think of a future that is a little further away, something that was not granted to us before. We love to travel and want to do as much of it as possible,” said Elisabeth.

“We’ll also keep trying to encourage people to register to donate their organs, to help other people to live. And we also want to keep campaigning about cystic fibrosis, because although treatments are being developed, a cure still doesn’t exist.”

Organ donations can save lives

In 2018, 14,000 people were registered as organ donors in Malta, or around three per cent of the population.

Campaigns have been launched – the most recent by Bank of Valletta – to encourage people to register to donate their organs after they die, but the country still has an ‘opt in’ system rather than an ‘opt out’ like several other European countries.

As part of its campaign – to tie in with the heart theme of Valentine’s Day – BOV has been reminding people that one organ donor can save up to eight lives.