Kristy Lee Seychell

I was only 13 years old and still in school when, one day, I started feeling very fatigued. The more time passed, the worse it got. At around 7 pm, I was doing the dishes when I felt an intense pain in my shoulder. Recently, a girl from Bormla had died from meningitis, and my mother instantly thought of the worst. She asked me to lower my chin to my chest, and since I could do it, she dismissed her suspicion.

That evening, I had a high fever and did not have the strength to get out of bed. My mother could tell that something was not right. She called our family doctor to come to see me. At some point, I tried getting out of bed to go to the bathroom, but I fainted and fell to the floor. When I started vomiting, my mother and brother realized that it was not a simple virus but a more serious situation.

My mother then noticed a spot on my toe. She thought I might have hurt it when I fell, but it quickly became a bruise. Within a few moments, I got a rash all over my body that rapidly turned into purple blotches. When the doctor arrived and saw the rash, he immediately knew it was meningitis. They called an ambulance to take me to the hospital.

I spent a week in ITU fighting for my life. During that week, my condition worsened, and the doctors told my family that I would probably not make it. I believe it was a miracle that eventually, my condition improved. We still didn't know how things would progress, but after that week, I was transferred to Disneyland ward, where I spent another two weeks. I remember I used to get many visitors, including teachers and friends from school.

The effects of the meningitis resulted in the loss of my fingers, toes, and part of my feet. Doctors also had to remove affected areas from the rest of my body, including two large chunks where I even had to get a skin graft.

I felt miserable. Every morning, I used to have all the bandages removed and then immersed in a large stainless bathtub filled with a lukewarm liquid to help heal the wounds. I also used the time in the bathtub to do therapy. At the end of July, I was released from the hospital and was surprised with a party. That Summer, my friends were always there for me and visited me frequently.

A new school year was starting soon, and I still used a wheelchair. However, I was determined to start walking and writing again by the time I returned to school, and I did my best to achieve my goal. I continued my studies and achieved 11 O-levels. After high school, I went to Secretarial School, and now I've been a secretary at MCAST for the last ten years.

Although I made a lot of progress, I still held myself back because I was insecure. In my teenage years, I blushed whenever a boy talked to me, and I hid my hands in my pockets. It's not the first time a boy who shows interest in me would change his mind as soon as he sees my hands. Even riding the bus was challenging because I was too embarrassed to show my hands to pay. It was a very difficult time for me, and I cried a lot.

My turning point came when I was on holiday in Australia with my family, and I sang Celine Dion's song Power of Love in a restaurant. It was the first time I sang in front of an audience. The restaurant used to host a live band, and my uncle encouraged me to sing with them. I enjoyed it and was convinced singing would help me overcome my problems. Since then, I have participated in several singing contests and music festivals and won the L-Għanja tal-Maltin festival with my song Għix Illum–a song about my life. I was also part of Ġensna in 2009, Voices in 2021, and many more.  

Nowadays, I can't say that I don't encounter problems, but singing is my outlet and helps me regain my confidence in facing my problems. Today, I am looking forward to my future with my boyfriend.