A heart-warming viral image which made the rounds on social media in March 2013 is again circulating after it was announced that a permit has been granted for a ‘pet cabin’ to be built within Mater Dei Hospital’s footprint so that recovering patients may see their pets.
The image depicted a recovering child in a wheelchair with his pet dog ‘Peanut’ in his lap while his mother stands next to them outside Mater Dei Hospital.
The child, Jacob Cachia and his mother Sarah Cachia shared their story from 2013, when Jacob had spent some time at the ITU due to being in a coma. Upon waking up, he begged to see his family’s Yorkshire Terrier. He was eventually allowed to see his beloved pet, as long as it was not on hospital grounds.
The image they shared in 2013 and the feedback received from the public envouraged them to speak with the authorities and the Ministry of Health to get the ball rolling on building a dedicated space where patients can visit their pets. The mother, as part of a support group called Survivors Malta, was joined by JCI Malta to raise funds for the campaign. The fruits of their labour have now come to fruition when the Planning Authority accepted a permit for the building of such a space.
Re-sharing the image from 2013, Sarah Cachia also accompanied it with her family’s heart-warming story:
“It all started with this one photo taken way back in March 2013. A photo can speak volumes. This particular photo captures a significant moment of sheer joy when our sick son was reunited with our family dog Peanut outside the main entrance at Mater Dei Hospital. After months of heartache and pain we finally shed happy tears! Jacob had been begging to see our Yorkshire Terrier Peanut since waking up from his coma in ITU. It was our son's only wish. It could have been his last as he was seriously ill. As his parents we felt helpless when we were told that dogs were not allowed to enter the Hospital.
“We even cut off a tuft of Peanut's hair and put it in a little plastic bag for Jacob to hold in the hope that one day he may finally be allowed to hold his dog again. Thankfully that day arrived albeit out in the cold in a busy street outside the hospital!
“A year or so later when we were In better days we asked the authorities at the Hospital if we could perhaps designate a room on the grounds of Mater Dei where recuperating patients could see their family pets. Abroad pet visitation and pet therapy is implemented at many hospitals and after experiencing this first hand through our own son’s recovery we knew how much it played a crucial part in the healing process!
“And so prompted by this photo which went viral when we shared it here on Facebook asking why pet visitation wasn’t allowed at Mater Dei, we began talks with the authorities concerned and with the Minister of Health. In the name of our support group Survivors Malta we joined forces with JCI Malta to raise funds for our campaign.
“We had a lot of red tape to cut through and regulations to abide to, but we did it. Now finally in 2018 we are going to see this project become a reality and The Reunited Pet Cabin will be built in the coming months.
“This project will not only help many families with sick hospitalised loved ones, but we hope that it will also pave the pathway for other pet related projects at our institutions here in Ma2lta. We wish to thank all who believe in us and what we do. Together we can all make a difference.”