An artist, who has undergone two cornea transplants, has created a portrait of Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci to thank her for her work during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I know what it’s like to fight against something you have no control over,” said Alan Azzopardi, who has spent the last eight years battling not to lose vision from his right eye.

The 42-year-old, who is a designer by profession and relies on his vision, is known for the portraits he draws. He usually captures celebrities who have done good deeds. This time, he felt that Gauci, who has been the face behind the health authority’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, deserved the tribute.

"Like the rest of Malta, I have been following the daily 12.30pm COVID-19 updates ritually and always say to myself what an imperative role the Superintendent of Public Health Prof. Charmaine Gauci exhibited daily without fail, braving a smile behind noticeably tired eyes and stressful times,” he wrote in a Facebook post where he shared a video of him drawing the portrait.

Charmaine Gauci has been delivering daily updates on the coronavirus situation in Malta since the first case on March 7.

Alan's story

Alan’s eye problems began when he was 34. He started suffering from blurred vision in his right eye. Over the years, he visited various specialists but the situation worsened and the cause remained undiagnosed. He eventually lost his sight from the eye, only seeing white as though looking through frosted glass. He then started experiencing painful redness and inflammation.

After three years, his ophthalmologist told him he should sign up for a cornea transplant. 

Artist Alan Azzopardi

The subsequent transplant was successful. But three weeks later he contracted a fungal infection that impaired his vision once again. It took two years for his eye to heal before he was eligible for the second transplant.

Today Alan’s vision in his right eye is still blurred but he is no longer in pain. All this has led to him signing up to become an organ donor – to help people who, like him, could one day benefit from this decision.