Juan Magri was just a few weeks old when doctors performing a routine scan noticed his head was larger than it should be.

The discovery turned out to be devastating for his parents, Solange and Antoine, who were told their baby son had a tumour and that the diagnosis was terminal.

“There is no textbook that prepares you for this,” says Antoine, 37.

“What happened to us never crossed our mind.”

Instead of planning the life of their baby, born on August 4, 2021, the couple were left learning how to approach his death.

They considered flying to the UK for treatment but specialists there told them there was nothing that could be done.

“The last few weeks were spent in the Rainbow Ward. We knew he would die at any point so we thought we might as well live there.”

Along with relatives and friends, the couple from Manikata were supported by the Puttinu Cares Foundation, which gave them access to a kitchen, a washing machine and even films to keep their minds occupied.

But most importantly, Puttinu provided them with several experts to guide and support them and their five-year-old daughter, Hazel. 

Baby Juan died of a tumour in October 2021.

“We were very aware that we could not abandon Hazel. We wanted to be there for our son but we could not forget that we had another child,” says Antoine.

Hazel would go to school in the morning and afterwards join the family in hospital where she would do her homework and spend time playing with the staff at the ward.

“She looked forward to coming next to us. When the time came for me to take her to her grandmother in the evening it was very difficult,” her father says, his eyes welling up.

On October 6, baby Juan died.

“We were prepared for him to die. We knew this was going to happen – this was life, and we could not deny it or hope. We prepared the funeral and Mass.

“When he actually died, it was a big shock even though we were expecting it and had everything ready. Puttinu took over and handled what we did not have the strength to,” Antoine says.

This experience taught them that Puttinu was not just about sending people abroad for treatment.

Puttinu took over and handled what we did not have the strength to

“They could not help us financially by sending us to the UK. But they helped us by being there for us. I can’t imagine what would have become of our family without their help,” he says.

This is why they are now urging the public to donate money to support Puttinu during a televised fundraising marathon to be held on Good Friday, April 15.

“We are here to help and do what it takes. This is just a drop in the ocean compared to what these people do for children and their families,” Solange, 36, says.

Over the past two years, the fundraising marathon has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite no fundraisers, parents continued to travel to the UK for treatment.

Between 60 and 90 patients travel to the UK for treatment every month. They stay at one of the 20 apartments Puttinu Cares owns in Sutton.

As the rate of patients travelling is on the increase, Puttinu aims to raise more funds to be able to buy a new building in Central London with the intention of securing a further 21 apartments which will be available free of charge for the patients and their relatives who visit hospitals in Central London.

Anyone who wishes to donate can visit: https://puttinucares.org/ your-donation/