One month after losing her son, Nicoletta "Nicki" Farrugia Mangion submitted her dissertation and made a promise that his memory would guide her. Today, that promise lives on in the Wings of Hope Foundation, a space she created for parents or guardians carrying the silent weight of losing a child.

Farrugia Mangion recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Youth and Community Studies, all while carrying the profound grief of losing her son Mattias last April.

She was also recognised as this year's Inspiring Graduate by the University of Malta's Department of Community and Youth Studies, with her story being published on the University's page.

Farrugia Mangion spoke to The Malta Independent on Sunday about her journey over the past year, saying that although previous years required balancing studies with a full-time job, this particular year was overwhelmingly difficult.

"This year particularly, after the unexpected loss of my son, obviously it was very, very challenging. I was approached by the University to take a year extension as well, so that I can grieve as necessary," Farrugia Mangion said.

However, she said that prolonging her studies would not have helped her or her family personally.

Although her supervisor highly recommended taking an extension, she said she resisted, expressing only her need for support to carry on.

"I was very close to the end, as I had already been working on my thesis, and I was in the concluding stages. I just needed that support to complete it, and my supervisor understood how important it was for me to finish it, especially the area I researched on, as it was very close to my heart," Farrugia Mangion said.

Her supervisor then assured her the support she needed, and Farrugia Mangion promised that if at any point she felt she could not continue, she would take the extension.

Nicoletta "Nicki" Farrugia Mangion on her graduation day

"I continued. I managed to submit my dissertation exactly one month after my son passed. The date had a very special meaning to me because, I realised when it came up on my Facebook, that the date of my submission was celebrated for Saint Mattias," she said.

She explained that she had not purposely chosen that date, but once she realised that the 14th of May was the feast day of Saint Mattias, she felt compelled to submit on that day.

"It was the first deadline that we were given, and I wanted to finish it on my first deadline. And then, obviously, it made so much more sense to submit it on that day," she said.

Farrugia Mangion said she was surrounded by immense support from family and friends, adding that she may not have made it through without them.

"I felt I had to complete it. I had to, especially for my family and for him," she said.

Asked what she wants people to know and remember most about her son, Farrugia Mangion said that after he passed, she promised herself she would not let him be forgotten.

"I created a private page for our family and for his friends so that we can all share memories of him. Every month on the anniversary of his passing, I like to get together with these people so that we can remember the good times. His character, he was such a lovely person. He was a genuine person, who was very caring and empathic towards others, and his love for animals and nature was immense. He was also a very talented artist," she said.

"As soon as I received the recognition from the University, I thought, now he will not be forgotten, because it went viral. I was very shocked, and I am glad, because he won't be forgotten now. I did not do this for me, it is about him and other people who are suffering," she said.

Asked whether the newly launched Wings of Hope Foundation grew out of a gap in Malta's support structures for parents who have lost a child, Farrugia Mangion said that there is a gap.

"We were approached in the beginning. However, throughout my grieving process, especially in the beginning and when I went back to work, I used to be in public places, and I used to look around and think to myself that no matter how people interact with me, they do not know what I am going through personally," she said.

She said she would look around and wonder if others were "suffering a silent pain" she knew nothing about.

"In particular, when I used to see the male figures around me suffering in silence, maybe a bit on a different level than I used to, because I used to reach out a lot when I needed support," she said.

"Yes, we have a gap. That's where it started, where that spark came from," she continued, adding that while services exist, they may not always be immediately accessible.

Mattias Mallia

'Someone reached out to me'

Farrugia Mangion said that she also felt a profound sense of responsibility.

She recalled that when her son passed, she was approached by another mother who had lost her son years earlier.

Although they did not know each other, this mother reached out to her with love and support.

"It felt so special that someone I did not even know felt my pain and reached out to me herself. It was like a responsibility given to me now; that I have to do the same. I have to be there for other parents who go through the same loss," she said.

Following other tragic news stories, she said that she reached out personally to parents, some indirectly, some through personal messages.

"It is very, very special, because I felt that I did make a difference, like someone previously had made a difference for me. This responsibility, this need to do something, came to me. I never in a million years would have thought or imagined myself doing this. It just came to me, and I could not close my eyes to this mission," Farrugia Mangion said.

She was asked what she wants the Foundation's core mission to be and what kind of space she hopes it will offer.

"The mission is very clear. It is there to support parents, no specific gender, any parent, any guardian who is suffering in silence and who needs support, even just a shoulder or just a hug, anything, any type of support, because sometimes I found immense support in someone just giving me a hug and not saying a word," Farrugia Mangion said.

"We all sometimes just need a hug to feel better. However, when it is from someone who can really understand your pain, who can relate 100% with your pain, it feels different. That is the main mission of this foundation," she added.

She said that she hopes to hold group sessions and is currently working on both the logistics and the physical space.

"Everything is work in progress at the moment, but that is what the aim is," Farrugia Mangion said.

Asked what values are shaping the foundation, Farrugia Mangion drew from her academic background.

"Throughout my studies, I have learned a lot about how society tells us what to do. When you study about youths, you realise that if we let people be who they really are without labels, without imposing anything on them, the world would be a much more beautiful place," she said.

"If we just understand that everyone is unique and we are there to listen to people. It relates to the foundation as people just need to be heard sometimes, without being given advice, just someone there to hold space for you and be there and listen to you, because society expects too much from us sometimes," Farrugia Mangion said.

She said that she hopes to have professionals on board, and that beyond creating a physical space, she wants to create time - something people often lack but desperately need when grief strikes.

Looking ahead, she said she envisions the Wings of Hope Foundation growing steadily.

"This is still very new, and I have not looked in the far future yet, but I hope to eventually grow it into something structured. Loss is inevitable and ongoing, and it is something you carry with you lifelong. There are moments that are much worse than others, so I want it to be something that people can reach out to whenever, not just now or the next year," she said.

She said she launched the foundation now because she was approached by so many parents that she felt that the need was urgent.

"That is why I took the opportunity to launch it now, so that all those who are reaching out and also those who have not reached out yet, but want to reach out, now they have where to actually do it," she said.

Farrugia Mangion said that she hopes the foundation becomes a beacon of hope, offering comfort and reminding grieving parents that even when they feel alone, they are not.

Anyone wanting to make contact with Wings of Hope can reach out via its Facebook page