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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2015 39 Interview Freelance journalist Kristina Chetcuti tells TEODOR RELJIC about her experience of co-writing Jacob, My Titanium Man for Merlin Publishers. The book, co-written by the titular Jacob's mother, Sarah Cachia, recounts the hardship endured by a young boy fighting against a harrowing brain infection. Broadly about 'a boy who was sick but got better', Chetcuti is however adamant that there's more to this project than meets the eye 'Self-pity was totally out of the window' What drew you into the process, and what were the initial stages like? I first heard of Jacob in a news feature in the Times of Malta. He had just got out of hospital, after fighting for his life, against menin- goencephalitis: an infection in the brain. The article was about Survi- vor's Malta, a group Jacob and his family set up to help people going through a trauma. I remember reading only half way through the story – as a par- ent these unknown illnesses which come out of nowhere are too scary to contemplate and even to read about. Sometime later I got a call from Chris Gruppetta of Merlin Publishers. Jacob's mother Sarah had contacted him and told him of her wish to write a book about her son's survival. Chris asked me if I would be interested to co-write it with her. In my mind, because of the heart- wrenching nature of the story, I was inclined to pass the offer, but then I met Sarah – and as many people who know her will tell you – you cannot really say no to Sarah. She told me how she had prom- ised Jacob that one day he would be an old man sitting on a bench telling his grandchildren the amaz- ing story of how he had fought his battle and won. "Kristina," she said to me, "When Jacob was in ITU, he made me promise I would write his story. Please help me do it." I had to choke back my tears. When I then met Jacob, which was in summer of 2013, he had had half his skull removed and his head was caved in on one side, he could barely walk and the use of one of his arms was rather limited. Yet, there was no feeling of doom and gloom in the Cachia household, rather, the whole family was some- how buoyant and full of plans. Self- pity was totally out of the window – it felt like Jacob was surrounded by cheerleaders. In fact, I would say that the Cachia family turned a heart-breaking story into an ex- ample of how far you can get with determination. Could you tell us what working with another collaborator was like especially that, in this case, it happened to crucially be the subject's mother? Were there any 'red lines' that you felt you couldn't cross? The story is Sarah's and the voice and tone of the book is completely hers. To achieve that, of course, we spent a lot of time together. There was a point where we used to schedule weekly interviews and sometimes I'd go along to rehab appointments at Karin Grech with Jacob too. I also spoke at length to Jacob's father Sammy – the more introverted of the family but who is the one who holds the fort – and to Chloe, who is greatly attached to her elder brother. Sarah is a very open book, so she was very willing to share all the rollercoaster ride of emotions. Of course there were times when I had to ask her to relive painful moments which she had buried and tried to forget. At times like these I felt terrible – but in a sense, I think for her it was therapeutic. In a sense co-authoring a book is very similar to journalism: when you're out on the field you're just a listener and you're simply re- cording people's thoughts, emo- tions and what's going on in their soul. What kind of readers – or rather, reader expectation – did you have in mind when putting the book together? Given that this is a specific story based on a specific life – or at least, a key life event – how did you seek to make it more universal? The book has a wide appeal. At face value it's just a story about a boy who was sick and got bet- ter. But when you think about it, parents, grandparents, uncles, sis- ters will all identify with this very average family who all of a sud- denly found themselves in a help- less situation. They fudged along, they nearly gave up, but somehow they found a way not to let it beat them. It is also an ode to doctors and nurses and it gives an insight into how the relationship with their patients can play a huge part in the healing process. What do you hope readers will get out of the book, apart from being allowed to follow a compelling 'human story'? It is not a Daily Mail kind of sob story. It is about dreams, despair, grief, denial, hope, love, determi- nation, trudging along and making the best of life. Jacob, My Titanium Man is a story about human na- ture. It is all about who we are. Jacob, My Titanium Man is now available in all leading bookshops Kristina Chetcuti PHOTOGRAPHY BY PIERRE PORTELLI