Twelve-year-old Samuel Farrugia is now a familiar face on Maltese local media. In 2016, he became the face of l-Istrina, with his testimonial video for the fund-raising event doing the rounds and breaking many Maltese hearts. Fast forward a year and Samuel has just published his first book, Samuel and the Magic Tooth, and has also played a role in this year's record-breaking l-Istrina.
Samuel lost the sight in one eye when he was five years old as a result of cancer. He then suffered a relapse and lost the sight in his other eye. Talking about his experience, he said: "At first I panicked: I didn't know what to do. Then I started to get used to being blind and I realised that I couldn't solve the problem by crying and neither could my mum, so we just had to get on with life."
He was interviewed earlier this week on INDEPTH
Samuel is a keen learner and his passion for reading and learning can be seen from his love and collection of audio books. When speaking to him, his love for learning is palpable and he is always ready to share an anecdote or a fun fact he has picked up from books.
Samuel and the Magic Tooth explores the adventures of Samuel as he discovers a magical tooth that takes him back to the time of the dinosaurs. The story is the fruit of Samuel's vivid and colourful imagination, together with his passion for - and love of - dinosaurs.
Following his active participation in the 2016 edition of l-Istrina, Samuel told the President that he loves writing and had already written a short book for children. The staff at the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation wanted to make Samuel's dream a reality and publish Samuel's book and Samuel and the Magic Tooth has been published by Panda Books with the aim of raising funds for the Malta Community Chest Fund and to send a strong message to children with disability to see what they can do and to never give up chasing their dreams and ambitions.
The book is very descriptive, with its pages full of vivid imagery, and the illustrations by the young talented Maltese illustrator Emma Galea Naudi bring the story to life. Talking about his imagination, Samuel said: "I don't just see black like most people think. My imagination makes an image of what's around me. I have no restrictions. If someone says this room is one colour, I can imagine it in every colour I want. I call it 'mind-modelling'."
Talking about the book, Samuel says he was very surprised and emotional when the President presented him with a copy of his printed book on Xarabank. He said he had not been aware that the book was going to be published and he now looks forward to turning it into an audio book so that other children who have lost their eyesight can enjoy his story. When he was asked if he had any other books planned, Samuel said that he has continued writing over the past year and would love to further develop the adventures of Samuel, the main character in his book.
He encouraged other children to embrace a love of reading as it opens up a new world on which anyone can build, according to their imagination. He hopes that his book will also contribute to this and looks forward to introducing it to his friends at school and other children.
Samuel is always positive and has a joy for life. He is confident that his own motivation can inspire other children - and adults - to overcome the obstacles that life can bring and pursue their dreams. "One door closes and a hundred others open," he added.
The book will be officially launched early in the New Year and will be available for sale at leading shops.
Samuel and the Magic Tooth was sponsored by the National Aquarium and all the proceeds from its sale will go to the Malta Community Chest Fund
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2q0dz8V
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