Man who was battling aggressive form of leukaemia dies

Sandro Grech, who had been battling a rare and aggressive form of leukaemia for three years has died, his wife announced on Sunday.

He passed away overnight at a hospital in Beijing, China, where he had been undergoing treatment funded through a nationwide fundraising effort.

In a Facebook post, his wife, Abigail Borg, said her husband “went to rest” after fighting the illness “with everything he had”.

“After three years battling with all he had against the illness that struck him, Sandro left us last night at the hospital in Beijing, China, where he was receiving the treatment we collected funds for with your help,” she wrote.

She thanked the public for giving her husband “the greatest possible chance to fight for his life – for his family, for his children”.

The government had contributed €250,000 towards the cost of his treatment abroad, with the remaining funds raised through public donations and initiatives organised in support of the family.

Borg said the family would remain forever grateful to those who stood by them during what she described as a difficult period.

“What you have done for us will never be forgotten,” she wrote. “Sandro will continue to live in the memory of all those who knew him – and we will love him forever.”