Although I have written many articles in the past, never would I have thought of having to write a note of appreciation to our dearest friend at such a young age. As I drove home from hospital last Monday afternoon, I was struggling to come to terms with how I will manage to put my message across in such a sad moment in my life. However, despite a heavy heart and tears rolling down my face, the hundreds of posts that flowed through on facebook as the news of your departure broke really gave me the strength to write my last message to you. If there was ever the need, the messages showed how truly loved you were and how you will be missed, not only by the very close group of friends who stuck together through thick and thin, but also by all the people who were in touch with you through the years. You fought so bravely for over 10 years since you were diagnosed with your illness. Some of the posts received on facebook described you as kind, considerate, an inspiration, intelligent, brave, outgoing, having “truck-loads of courage”, and a fighter with a strong and positive attitude. All these adjectives describe you perfectly. Probably there are many more but they are not coming to mind in this difficult moment. In recent months as your illness became more intense, maybe the only regret that we may have is not having had the time to organise one last trip together. God had other plans for you. But it is not the time for regrets. It is the time to look back at the many great moments we shared and the values that you left behind. You were always the heart and soul of our get-togethers. Your organisational skills were second to none and our close group will cherish the great times we shared together especially the trips overseas, some of which you organised to the finest detail. When you messaged all of us a few weeks ago to take time off our busy schedule to spend the afternoon together to celebrate your birthday, it may have been a hidden message from someone looking over us. Instead, we are today celebrating your life. True a life cut far too short. But what you have managed to sow in 37 years is a deep victory. To his parents and brother we extend our deepest condolences. But we also say thank you for taking care of him so well during his illness. Your attitude and care surely extended his life for many years. We are grateful for this since it gave us more time to enjoy his ‘joie de vivre’ and cherish his humour which was the hallmark of his character. You will be sorely missed but never forgotten. Till we meet again Lippu!

Edward Rizzo on behalf of Malcolm Sullivan, Michael Gatt, Andrew Sapienza, Nikolai de Giorgio, Mark Vassallo, Mark Scicluna Bartoli, Claude Sciberras, Etienne Grech, George Said, Chris Casapinta, Daniel Borg Olivier, Roger Strickland, and Chris Mifsud