Maltese national and cancer survivor Thomas Cremona yesterday arrived in Barbados, a full 33 days, 21 hours and 46 minutes after leaving Morocco in a specially designed rowing boat.
Thomas formed part of a team of five who managed to cover a total of 3,168 miles in 33 days, mustering an average speed of 3.90 miles per hour. They set off on 5 January from Tarfaya in southern Morocco and landed in Barbados.
In a time when materialism is rife, and the Maltese general public is busy resurrecting, deifying and others vilifying the Mintoff years, one man actually does something worthwhile, while we bicker, cringe, reminisce and ultimately waste time with Malta’s ridiculous political rhetoric.
Yes, Thomas Cremona did something far more worthwhile than any political warmongering. He has sacrificed his own time to plunge headlong into this challenge to raise money for the Puttinu Cares Foundation.
But it is not the only challenge that Thomas has undertaken. He has also completed a Lifecycle Challenge in 2006, cycling over 2,000 kilometres in 10 days, to raise money for the Renal Unit.
Thomas, who beat lymphoblastic leukaemia when he was only four, aims to show that there is life after cancer. People like him are a true inspiration. It also shows that people like Thomas, who have overcome severe illness, tend to be more inclined to enjoy life, to enter challenges and to do more for others.
If one were to look around, Malta and indeed we, as Maltese people, are selfish, materialistic and self-absorbed. We need to take the example of Thomas (and others) who sacrifice their own time to raise awareness about issues and to raise money for different causes.
It is heartening to see that some people still have the will to look beyond their own petty little existence of nail extensions, Armani shirts, the latest console game or whatever materialism is the order of the day.
People like Thomas show us that there is more to life than that, if only we would be willing to step outside our comfort zone. In times when people are complaining about abject poverty, we forget that we go out to eat once a week, have the latest mobile phone, two cars (or more) per family. We repeat, there is more to life than that. We only realise it when our health is under threat.
Many people with an illness suddenly yearn to do more in life, or regret not having done much at all. That, one supposes, is human nature. We only realise how good things are when they are taken away from us. Perhaps we should all just be a bit more like Thomas. That does not mean that we should all try and row across the Atlantic. But it does mean that we should think about others more. It does mean that we should push and challenge ourselves. It also means that we should live a little and embrace life, rather than complaining about utter rubbish when we all, and I mean all, live the life of Riley compared to a good many ill people in Malta and around the world. Prosit Thomas, you are a hero.