A man who buried his 10-month-old son on Wednesday and whose daughter has two brain tumours is also battling freezing-cold conditions in his sub-standard flat.

Vincent Zammit, 47, has faced his fair share of hardship in life, but he shrugs off his misfortunes, putting his “faith in God”.

The family is also living in freezing-cold conditions in a sub-standard flat. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Mourning the loss of Noel, who was born with such a rare condition his father cannot even recall the medical name, Zammit described how the boy with a missing arm could not withstand an urgent operation he underwent earlier this week.

Though it was considered successful, Noel had a heart attack, was resuscitated, but was left brain dead and laid to rest.

The condition meant the baby could barely hold any food within him and had a stoma for waste to be diverted out of his little body.

Although his laugh was missed, Noel suffered too due to several medical complications, which meant he never made it past his first year of life.

As though that were not enough for a father to bear, Zammit’s 14-year-old, Shezyan, was diagnosed with two brain tumours years ago, and while she remains stable for the time being, he believes it has affected her mood swings.

Holy Communion at five

Followed by the late Dr Victor Calvagna, Sheyzan had done her First Holy Communion at the age of five for fear she would not live long enough.

Along the way, the family has found the support and generosity of various benefactors, including the funding of their son’s funeral by Pama and Pavi supermarkets, and are forever grateful to those who have been watching over for them.

“We are not cheeky, so when we finally found a milk product Noel would not vomit, we just asked the agent if we could buy it at a discounted price.

“Heaven’s doors opened, and we were flooded with anything our son needed,” Zammit said.

The state of their government-subsidised Żebbuġ flat is so bad... no matter how much they wrapped Noel in blankets, he still felt cold

However, the state of their government-subsidised Żebbuġ flat is so bad that the two remaining children tremble at night and the family’s clothes and bedding are soaking wet due to the high level of humidity in the home.

No matter how much they wrapped Noel in blankets, he still felt cold, his father said.

Their nine-year-old son and daughter are now sleeping together in the same bedroom to keep warm, but the balcony door and its glass panes are broken and covered in garbage bags in a makeshift attempt to prevent the biting cold from entering.

The walls, black with mould, resemble a “map” and the toilet flushing does not work, Zammit said.

“We had asked the Housing Authority to move to alternative accommodation in San Ġwann to be closer to my in-laws, but we have been told we need to reapply from scratch,” said Zammit, visibly discouraged.

The walls, black with mould, resemble a “map” and the toilet flushing does not work. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

€4,700 in arrears

Now offered a full-time job as a chef, he is still paying his dues for the rent of the flat that costs him €360 for three months and for which he owes €4,700 in arrears.

Zammit said he was bound to stay in the Żebbuġ rental for another two years but was finding it hard to cope in these conditions, explaining that their two heaters could not keep up with the cold.

And other expenses continue to be added on. Noel was fed through tubes for much of his short life – and now the family has to fork out €250 for a box of 100 that was ordered before he passed away.

Despite their own plight, the family has done its own charitable deeds whenever it could, and Zammit, who has no contact with his dad and whose own English mother abandoned him when he was six months old, still finds the strength to look ahead.

In all of this, when asked how he is feeling, he uses a hand gesture to indicate he is doing so-so.

“That’s life,” said the father, who is preparing to help others by passing on items he had received for his own son and which he, sadly, no longer needs.