Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/624751
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 JANUARY 2016 4 News CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "All I expected was a call from the uni- versity telling me that my mum would be buried. Getting to know that she was buried without us being there was like my mum's second death. All I want now is a proper apology to put her to rest once and for all." To compound matters further, Beryl Schembri – as a devout Jehovah's Witness – was buried with the Catholic rite in the pres- ence of a priest and undertakers. "It's awkward to say the least for my mum to be buried by a priest," her daughter says, adding that her mum was given an "undignified" burial in an unmarked grave. Insisting that she has no inten- tion to complicate matters further by seeking legal avenues, Melissa Schembri told MaltaToday that all the family wants is a formal apology by the university's au- thorities. Attempts to obtain the Univer- sity of Malta's comments proved futile as the anatomy department manager refused to speak over the phone and a member of the university's legal office never provided a date for a meeting with the depart- ment. Schembri – born in the UK – died from pulmonary embolism one week before turning 80. She was taken to Mater Dei hospital af- ter falling ill while receiv- ing temporary treatment at Mount Carmel Hospital for mild depression. Since Schembri died within a few hours of her admittance to Mater Dei, the health authorities ordered an autopsy. This should have led to the university to refuse the body since regulations clearly state that the university "cannot accept bodies after a post mor- tem nor after full organ donation – only exception is donation of corneas". Yet, Melissa Schembri was told that the university buried her mother after the embalming failed and was told by the manager of the anatomy department that it was within the university's rights to bury the body. "We do not dispute the deci- sion but it's shameful that my mother was buried without my father and any of my brothers and sisters being present. All we expected was a phone call in- forming us of the burial," Melissa Schembri said. She added that her father, Al- fred, has since recanted a simi- lar agreement he had with the University of Malta to donate his body for research purposes. Melissa, their third eldest daughter, gave up her full-time job to care for her elderly par- ents, and now has to wait two years before she will be able to exhume her mother's body. Moreover, the family has no grave and Melissa says she will resume working and probably apply for a loan to be able to af- ford a family grave. Graves at present come at a premium and when enquiring, Melissa Schembri was asked for up to €20,000 for one at the Addolorata Cemetery in Paola. "One of the reasons my mum donated her body to the univer- sity was financial, because cre- mation is not available and we could not afford to buy a grave." For the time being, Melissa and her siblings, two of whom live abroad, will be able to at least put a tombstone on the unmarked grave but they still await an apol- ogy. We empower you to grow www.FamalcoCareers.com University did not inform family of mother's burial Beryl Schembri