'His chance of recovery was higher if both of us accompanied him'

Splitting up the siblings when one of them needed cancer treatment abroad was the biggest heartache for the Bianco family, but they managed to pull through with the help of Puttinu Cares. Ten years ago, Gianluca Bianco, then six, needed to be flown to Royal Marsden Hospital to continue receiving treatment for leukaemia. Over one weekend, parents Sandra and Mario had to organise accommodation for Gianluca’s two siblings with relatives in Malta, as they packed their bags to accompany their ailing son. They spent seven months and a week away from their two other children, but with the help of Puttinu Cares, the Bianco family spent Christmas and Easter together in London. “We were told that his chance of recovery was higher if both of us accompanied him. This meant that we had to leave our other two children – aged 11 and 16 – behind. This was the most heart-breaking thing,” Ms Bianco, visibly emotional, told Times of Malta. Ms Bianco was speaking during the first day of the 60-hour football and volleyball Puttinu Cares marathon at the Marsa Sports Grounds. Together with her husband and son, she has been volunteering with the support group ever since her son recovered, and feels...