First Maltese receives life-saving lung transplant in Italy

A Maltese woman, Sandra Abela, has return to Malta after receiving a lung transplant in Italy. "My wife was dying. This transplant saved her life ... and mine," her husband said on their arrival in Malta. They spent the last months in Palermo at the Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione. Mrs Abela was the first Maltese to benefit from a new free health service agreement between Italy and Malta. Due to the nature of the transplant, the medical centre was required to be within acceptable distance from the patient, as the success of the procedure mostly depended on the time  between the availability of the organ and the actual transplant, the Ministry of Health said. The couple were greeted at Malta International Airport by Health Minister Joe Cassar. "No words can describe my feelings, my new life right now" Mrs Abela told Minister Cassar. The treatment cost €250,000.