Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1051772
17 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 14 NOVEMBER 2018 COMMERCIAL FEW people may know what kidney disease patients go through during their medical treatment and dialysis pro- gramme. Their normal life changes completely. Patients must follow a strict diet, and quite often spend four hours on the dialysis machine and this is done three times a week. Their only hope of recovery is to be placed on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. LifeCycle (Malta) Founda- tion, the only NGO that has consistently raised awareness on renal failure and raises funds for kidney failure patients and research, is now striving to of- fer psychology service to renal patients, their families and liv- ing kidney donors. William Saliba, an active semi-retiree and a cyclist of LifeCycle Challenge for the past 12 consecutive years, at the age of 59 decided to donate one of his kidneys. He said that be- ing part of LifeCycle Challenge did not only involve training for the challenge itself, but the programme also involved visits to the Renal Unit at Mater Dei Hospital and meeting renal pa- tients. "At one of our visits, I had met a young female renal pa- tient, whom I had seen two years earlier, but this time I noticed how she had changed physically. She needed a trans- plant to be able to live a normal life. There and then, I went to speak to the Head Nurse at the time, and immediately started taking the necessary medical tests. Unfortunately, I wasn't compatible with the patient and so I let it be," he said. After a couple of years, he was approached by the current Renal Unit Head Nurse Paul Calleja who asked him if he was still interested in donating a kidney. "Apparently, there were three patients who could be compat- ible with me and I started again a series of medical tests, in fact quite intensive ones," he said. "And, as a result, I was told that one patient on the waiting list was compatible with me." Saliba did not recall any sup- port apart from being asked to be assessed by a board of medi- cal professionals and a priest who ensured that he was taking this decision freely and that his family supported his decision. He neither received any coun- selling before nor any emotion- al support after the operation, apart from that of his family. "Psychological support is nec- essary. More than one's experi- ence of the operation itself, it is even more essential when a person goes through mixed in- tense emotions and strong feel- ings of anxiety," he said. "Following the operation, you do feel some physical discom- fort for a few days, but there always looms at the back of the mind a mix of powerful feelings and concerns, so being sup- ported psychologically is most essential both for the kidney donor as well as for the receiv- er. On the other hand, as I have always remained physically ac- tive, I recovered within a few weeks and felt well enough to resume my cycling training." From over 1,400 NGOs in Malta, LifeCycle Foundation is the only NGO that supports and cares for renal patients and their families. Donations to LifeCycle are an investment and a gift for pa- tients. What emotional and psychological support a kidney donor receives LifeCycle Challenge cyclist and kidney donor William Saliba WHO knows which narra- tives would Sir Themistocles 'Temi' Zammit discuss if one had the opportunity to meet him? Exceptionally successful in several fields, he was mainly a medical doctor, however he was also a professor of chem- istry, an archaeologist, a histo- rian, a researcher and a writer. On Saturday 17 November, Heritage Malta is making this extraordinary encounter possi- ble for children who would like to meet him. The first part of the activity will take place at Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum in Paola. Children will watch the Hypogeum's au- diovisual show and learn about several artefacts found inside the visitor centre (this event does not include a tour of the hypogeum). During this activ- ity, parents/guardians will wait for their children in the recep- tion area. The next part of the event will take place at Tarxien Temples in Tarxien. Children, together with their parents/guardians and a Heritage Malta member will walk to the temples in or- der to participate in an activity prepared for them. Adults are expected to accompany their children during this activity. Afterwards, they can stay on for some nibbles. The event will take place be- tween 9.30am and 1pm. Tickets, valid for one child and one accompanying adult cost €10 each and can be pur- chased from all Heritage Malta sites, and museums, and on- line. The activity is only open to twenty children, so early book- ing is recommended to avoid disappointment. For more information, visit Heritage Malta's website www. heritagemalta.org Sibt ma' Temi for World Children's Day Eden Leisure Group and Zibel go sand sifting for microplastics AS part of its participation in Waste Reduction Week, Eden Leisure Group is teaming up with Zibel and the Gaia Foun- dation to go sand sifting for microplastics at Riviera Bay (Ghajn Tuffieha). The ini- tiative will be taking place on Saturday 24 November from 9.30am to 2pm and anybody who interested is welcome to join on the day. Sand sifting is crucial as plas- tic materials which enter the marine environment slowly break down after prolonged outdoor exposure. These broken down fragments are called microplastics. Conse- quently animals can mistake small, often colourful micro- plastics for food which can lead to the introduction of toxic chemicals to the animal and has been known to lead to digestive blockage in fish, sea- birds and turtles. The company's contingent will be meeting at Riviera Bay, where the beach will be split into rows and volunteers di- vided into small teams with a dedicated row in order to maximise the area covered. Zibel's team members will provide guidance and all the necessary equipment includ- ing water, so bring your re- fillable bottle with you. Sand sifting is physically demand- ing and requires a reasonable level of fitness from volun- teers. Others can also lend a hand with sorting or scouring the area. Kate de Cesare, Eden Lei- sure Group's Director of Operations said that Eden Leisure Group had made its mission to become greener and cleaner. "We started off with a na- tion-wide campaign 'Making Malta Green & Clean', to raise awareness and following that, we set up a 'Green Commit- tee' to oversee the cleaning up of our operations and to become more eco-friendly," she said. "The committee's remit is also to make more contribu- tions to the betterment of the environment by fundraising, awareness building and or- ganising eco activities. We are proud to have partnered with Zibel on this occasion as we aim to do our bit to re- store one of Malta's favourite beaches."